Qualcomm, HUMAIN to develop AI data centers, cloud-to-edge services

15/05/2025 01:26 AST

Qualcomm Technologies, a technology leader enabling connected intelligent computing, and HUMAIN, a national artificial intelligence (AI) champion advancing Saudi Arabia's goals for AI, today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the intent to enter a strategic collaboration for the development of next-generation AI data centers, infrastructure and cloud-to-edge services to meet the rapidly growing demand for AI across the globe, including Saudi Arabia.

The MoU was signed during the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, which was held during the official visit of President of the United States Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia.

Following the signing of the MoU, HUMAIN and Qualcomm Technologies intend to:

 Develop and build cutting-edge AI data centers in Saudi Arabia designed to deliver highly efficient, scalable cloud-to-edge hybrid AI inferencing solutions for local and international customers based on Qualcomm Technologies' edge and data center solutions

 Develop and supply state-of-the-art data center CPU and AI solutions from Qualcomm Technologies, with leading performance and efficiency, to power data centers in HUMAIN's AI cloud infrastructure

 Accelerate the use of HUMAIN's AI cloud infrastructure by leveraging edge devices powered by Qualcomm Technologies' Snapdragon and Dragonwing processors

 Integrate HUMAIN's family of Arabic large language models (ALLaM, co-developed with SDAIA) with the wide ecosystem of AI edge devices powered by Qualcomm Technologies' processors, bringing hybrid cloud-to-edge AI inferencing capabilities to a vast array of devices

The data centers and supporting ecosystem are intended to provide both government and enterprise organizations with access to high-performance and power efficient CPU and AI cloud infrastructure and cloud-to-edge services. These offerings will enable the deployment of AI solutions that can make real-time predictions and decisions, in addition to significantly increasing the availability and value of advanced AI-enabled applications.

Qualcomm Design Center
Under the agreement, HUMAIN and Qualcomm Technologies also announced a major collaboration with Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) to establish a world-class Qualcomm Design Center in Saudi Arabia for semiconductor technology, supported with training and startup initiatives focused on building infrastructure and technology capabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This initiative supports the Kingdom's goal of becoming a global hub for semiconductor design, driving economic growth, attracting talent, and providing upskilling opportunities in semiconductor technology to the Kingdom's engineers.

"We thank Qualcomm Technologies for deepening their strategic partnership with the Kingdom and their collaboration with HUMAIN marks a major step in advancing Saudi Arabia's leadership in edge-to-cloud AI infrastructure and intelligent compute. Together, we are not only building data centers and next-generation AI capabilities but also laying the groundwork for a vibrant semiconductor ecosystem powered by world-class talent," said His Excellency Eng. Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

"Saudi Arabia is making impressive strides toward becoming a global AI leader, and Qualcomm Technologies is pleased to be working with HUMAIN to support the realization of these goals. We are incredibly excited help build the advanced AI data center infrastructure required to launch reliable and cost-effective next-generation hybrid AI services in the Kingdom and globally using our industry-leading CPU and AI solutions," said Cristiano Amon, president and chief executive officer, Qualcomm Incorporated.

"We are equally proud to work with MCIT to help drive the development of Saudi Arabia's semiconductor sector. Establishing chip design capabilities in country will be a major step in achieving the objectives of Vision 2030, and we are honored partner with the Kingdom on this important journey."

"This agreement marks a major milestone in our journey to build a global hub for AI infrastructure, which helps enable Qualcomm Technologies' data center expansion, driving high-performance low-power computing and energy-efficient AI processing at scale. Together, we're not only accelerating technological advancement - we are building the foundation for the region's most powerful cloud-to-edge hybrid AI which will create opportunities for innovation, job growth, and sustainable economic impact," said Tareq Amin, chief executive officer, HUMAIN.

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