Saudi Arabia expands AI and semiconductor partnerships in Silicon Valley

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdullah Alswaha, is conducting a strategic tour of Silicon Valley to expand artificial intelligence partnerships and localize advanced technologies. During his visit, Alswaha held high-level meetings with leaders from major tech firms, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, to discuss expanding AI manufacturing capabilities in collaboration with Humane. He also met with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to explore deepening cooperation in semiconductors and the implementation of the ‘Intel Foundry’ initiative within the Kingdom.

To support these technological ambitions, the Minister met with HPE CEO Antonio Neri to discuss expanding local manufacturing and cloud computing infrastructure. Additionally, discussions with Kleiner Perkins Managing Partner Mamoun Hamid focused on attracting venture capital and deep-tech startups to establish headquarters in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at the Frontier Leaders Forum 2026, Alswaha outlined a comprehensive model to attract AI companies by providing computing power, capital, and access to a broad customer base. He noted that the Kingdom is working with the private sector to develop over 14 gigawatts of computing capacity to meet the needs of advanced AI firms and reduce operational costs. The strategy aims to replicate the success seen with companies like Grok, fostering an environment where global AI innovators can scale their operations.