U.S.-based artificial intelligence startup Together AI has announced a significant partnership with Saudi Arabian AI company Humain to expand its data center capacity amid growing domestic challenges. The deal, revealed on Monday, will provide Together AI with access to 250 megawatts of electricity and 120,000 semiconductors from a new data center located in Saudi Arabia. Together AI, valued at $8.3 billion as of July and specializing in open-source AI models, expects the collaboration to generate approximately $5 billion in annual revenue.
Vipul Prakash, co-founder and CEO of Together AI, cited increasing opposition to data centers in the United States as a key reason for pursuing international expansion. “More and more, local communities don’t want data centers in their backyards, and there are a lot of cancellations and moratoriums, so U.S. capacity is becoming even more constrained,” he said.
Humain, founded last year at the initiative of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader strategy to advance its AI industry and diversify its economy beyond oil. The company is developing multiple data center projects, including facilities in Riyadh and Dammam, with plans to deploy 250 megawatts of power by early 2027 and a longer-term target of six gigawatts by 2034. The overall project is estimated to cost $77 billion and would significantly boost the Middle East’s compute capacity, which stood at roughly 400 megawatts at the end of last year according to the International Energy Agency.
Humain’s CEO, Tareq Amin, emphasized the high demand for AI computing power, noting that “my GPUs sell before they are ordered,” a reference to the silicon chips essential for powering AI workloads. The company has established partnerships with several global technology firms, including Amazon Web Services, Luma AI, and Elon Musk’s xAI, now part of SpaceX. Humain has also secured agreements to purchase semiconductors from U.S. manufacturers Nvidia, AMD, and Qualcomm, facilitated by recent U.S. regulatory approvals allowing the export of an initial 35,000 chips.
While the regional push for AI infrastructure has faced challenges, including recent attacks on Amazon Web Services data centers in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates linked to the ongoing conflict in Iran, Humain’s leadership expressed confidence in their ability to manage potential disruptions. Amin stated that operational setbacks caused by the conflict have been addressed, and progress remains on track.
Together AI’s partnership with Humain will nearly triple its existing data center capacity and is expected to be among the largest publicly disclosed facilities dedicated to hosting open-source AI models. The initial delivery of 7,000 semiconductors to Together AI is scheduled for November, with full capacity anticipated by 2027.
Looking ahead, Together AI plans to continue seeking computing resources internationally, with Prakash projecting that global data center construction may outpace U.S. developments by 2027. The collaboration between a U.S. AI startup and Saudi Arabia’s emerging data infrastructure highlights shifting dynamics in the global AI industry, driven by capacity constraints and geopolitical considerations.