OPED By COLLINS CHONG YEW KEAT, Malaysia
Saudi Arabia is pushing hard for a new stake in the future of digital and AI-driven opening, in the quest to transition from a fossil fuel-led industry to join the bandwagon of the digital revolution.
Various ambitious projects are underway, including a planned US$5 billion data centre in northwest Saudi Arabia near the Red Sea that would provide enough computing capacity for coders, even as far as Europe, to build artificial intelligence.
For generations, Saudi Arabia has relied on oil exports as the main lifeline of the economy, and now it wants to shift focus to one of the digital era’s most prized resources: computing power.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman or also known as MBS, is leading the new drive to turn Saudi Arabia’s oil wealth into tech influence, exploiting the opening where few nations can match the kingdom’s cheap energy, deep pockets and open land, which are the very ingredients that tech firms need to operate the vast data centres that are needed to power and operate modern Artificial Intelligence.
U.S. Accelerates Lunar Bid: Isaacman Confirmed To Head NASA; Vows To Outpace China To The Moon
American tech giants are firmly on the Saudi radar. Executives from OpenAI, Google, Qualcomm, Intel, and Oracle have attended the country’s Future Investment Summits, and the Crown Prince’s visit to the White House last month further consolidated the new drive.
MBS created Humain in May and hopes it will handle about 6 percent of the world’s A.I. workload in the coming years. If this is successful, it will rival both China and the US in providing computing power.
The kingdom is already building three major data centre complexes aimed at foreign companies, in the quest to be a global AI leader.
However, scepticism prevails about the efficacy and realistic reliability of the ambitions, especially when the rival UAE has similar plans, and Riyadh is trailing in a regional race.
The UAE has announced a multibillion-dollar project with OpenAI in Abu Dhabi this year. Riyadh’s ties with Beijing also complicate future collaborations with top American AI firms and Washington, wary of Chinese access and influence.
Prince Mohammed has been careful not to pick sides in the U.S.-Chinese tussle and has especially sought closer ties with President Trump.
The kingdom has deep ties to Mr. Trump, while also welcoming Chinese investment. Saudi Aramco has touted the use of DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company, at one of its data centres to boost efficiency.
MBS wants to use A.I. to wield the same influence that his kingdom has enjoyed from oil; his brainchild of Humain, the AI equivalent of Aramco, is the kickstarter.
Humain has struck deals to buy semiconductors from Nvidia, AMD, and Qualcomm, and a US$5 billion deal with Amazon to build AI infrastructure.
To expand infrastructure and centres, electrical power will be critical, and the kingdom is expanding its electrical grid. With all these in place, Riyadh aspires to be the third epicentre after the US and China, banking on the Crown Prince’s wealth, resources, and visionary drive.
Still, the complex balancing move to juggle the concerns and interests of both Washington and Beijing remains the main stumbling block, where a sensitive high-stakes power game over high-end chips remains a delicate risk and balancing game for Riyadh.
President Trump welcomed MBS to the White House with military fanfare, a black-tie dinner, and a stack of bilateral deals. The prince pledged up to $1 trillion in Saudi investment into the US and secured American commitments on various projects from F-35 fighter jets to cutting-edge AI infrastructure.
MBS’s return to Washington symbolises one of the most dramatic image rehabilitations in modern global politics.
Once shunned, the 40-year-old leader has now positioned himself as a pivotal and strategic player in shaping a new future for the Middle East and has made Saudi Arabia more central to US interests than ever before.
With a modern, non-conventional oil and energy policy and an aggressive tech and investment strategy, it is hard for the US to resist the returns and future alignment with the country.
MBS is also wise to play the strategic card by making China part of the equation, where the message is that any American delay or hesitation would eventually push Riyadh closer to China, both in military and tech cooperation and deals, something Washington would not want.
The visit to the US saw MBS walk away with major wins, including securing the F-35 fighter jets, access to advanced American chips, and a stronger economic foothold through investments in the US.
China has already become the kingdom’s largest trading partner, while the US remains its main arms supplier and supporter.
MBS has also skilfully crafted a new strategic card, in which the message is that if the US intends to maintain and enhance its role and influence, it can no longer treat Riyadh as a junior partner or a downgraded player.
Washington has been cautious and wary, and a few critical deals have been left out. Chief among those will be the nuclear deal, where the decision of whether Saudi Arabia will be allowed to enrich uranium will be at stake. This is a red line set up where many in Washington are wary that it could lead to a weapons programme.
A binding defence pact has not yet been ratified, and there are no mutual defence clauses in place.
Despite that, the road ahead for the kingdom is one of hope and optimism, with a clear message that Saudi Arabia is open for business, anchored by Vision 2030, a blueprint for a new economic plan and a diversification beyond oil.
The trajectory is clear: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not just back in the game; he is dictating new terms of engagement with big powers and is at the helm of the kingdom’s most transformative era to date.
- COLLINS CHONG YEW KEAT is a Foreign Affairs, Security and Strategy Analyst at Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
- VIEWS PERSONAL OF THE AUTHOR
