Aramco acquires 49% stake in AI firm Humain for $2.6 billion

Saudi Arabia-based Aramco has acquired a 49% stake in AI firm Humain for $2.6 billion, while the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund owns the remaining 51%. The deal is expected to accelerate Humain's growth and advance its AI capabilities globally. It also supports plans to develop data center capacity by 2030 and help public and private sectors deploy AI at scale.

Ownership and investment

Aramco's stake is held through a wholly owned subsidiary. The transaction involves approximately SAR 9.9 billion ($2.6 billion) in cash contributions in 2026 from Aramco to Humain, in addition to AI, compute, and digital assets. Humain was launched in May 2025 and is building full-stack AI capabilities across four core areas: next generation data centers; hyper-performance infrastructure and cloud platforms; advanced AI models including ALLAM, one of the world's most powerful multimodal Arabic large language models; and transformative AI solutions. Humain aims to deploy 3 gigawatts of AI data center capacity by 2030 and become one of the leading exporters of AI globally.

Strategic aims

The transaction is expected to accelerate Humain's ambition to build a globally competitive, integrated AI ecosystem spanning data centers, high-performance compute, advanced models, applications, and industry solutions. PIF and Aramco are contributing AI assets, capabilities, and talent. The deal builds on Saudi Arabia's efforts to enable the development and deployment of advanced data and AI technologies while attracting talent and investment opportunities. Partnering with Aramco in Humain aligns with PIF's 2026-2030 strategy, which aims to deepen integration across economic ecosystems, expand opportunities with the private sector, and accelerate the growth of national companies into globally competitive leaders.

Aramco's expected benefits

Aramco is expected to leverage Humain's AI infrastructure to translate advanced AI capabilities into industrial applications. As a shareholder and strategic partner, Aramco and its affiliates are expected to benefit from Humain's advanced AI infrastructure and services. The partnership is expected to enhance Aramco's monetization of existing AI and digital assets, support its broader strategy, and complement its core energy business. Aramco president and CEO Amin H. Nasser said the company has achieved $11.3 billion in Technology Realized Value since 2023, with a significant portion coming from AI solutions.

Executive statements

Yazeed A. Al-Humied, Deputy Governor and Head of MENA Investments at PIF, said bringing PIF and Aramco's AI portfolio of investments together under Humain creates a powerful synergy that fuels talent growth, technological advancement, and intellectual property creation. He added that the transaction accelerates Humain's growth into a global leader, strengthens AI as an enabler of PIF's six ecosystems, expands private sector participation across PIF's portfolio, and advances cutting edge technologies in Saudi Arabia. Nasser said the Humain deal builds on Aramco's long track record of innovation and technology, and that the partnership strengthens Aramco's position as a global technology leader and AI powerhouse while laying the foundation for localizing the AI industry and enabling faster, more integrated, and scalable deployment of AI systems. He said AI will play a vital role in the future of business, and that Aramco is delighted to collaborate with PIF to help shape the future of AI regionally and globally.

Sources: Gamesbeat · Techmeme