Qualcomm is establishing an AI Engineering Center in Riyadh with Humain to support the rollout of 200 MW of data center infrastructure based on its AI200 and AI250 rack solutions. Separately, it is working with Aramco Digital to co-develop an Industrial Intelligent Gateway platform that uses Qualcomm’s edge AI and 5G technology. Both efforts support Saudi Arabia’s broader digital and industrial goals.
Qualcomm is expanding its engagement in Saudi Arabia with two new projects tied to AI and industrial compute. In partnership with Humain, Qualcomm will open an AI Engineering Center in Riyadh to support the deployment of AI200 and AI250 rack solutions across up to 200 MW of data center capacity. The center will focus on model onboarding, performance tuning, and edge-to-cloud optimization, while also serving as a local base for training and ecosystem development.
(Left) Cristiano Amon, president and CEO at Qualcomm Technologies, and (right) Tareq Amin, CEO at Humain. (Source: Qualcomm)
This builds on an earlier announcement that Humain intends to deploy Qualcomm’s Cloud AI infrastructure starting in 2026. Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm’s CEO, said the center will help “streamline and accelerate deployment of the most advanced services based on Qualcomm AI solutions.”
Separately, Qualcomm and Aramco Digital have agreed to jointly develop and commercialize an Industrial Intelligent Gateway platform. The platform combines Qualcomm’s AI processing and connectivity technologies with Aramco’s 450 MHz 5G network to enable edge-based automation, monitoring, and predictive analytics.
What do we think?
The Humain collaboration gives Qualcomm a place in a decently sized AI infrastructure project. Placing the engineering center in Riyadh was probably a requirement but also means Qualcomm can offer close support while anchoring its brand in the local ecosystem.
The partnership with Aramco Digital fits with Qualcomm’s focus on low-power distributed AI for constrained environments, like industrial settings.
The timing is also favorable. Qualcomm is new to the AI data center market, and having real deployments to point to adds credibility to its offering.
Qualcomm is one of the companies we examined in our latest global AI processors market report, and the company faces many powerful competitors. You can find Qualcomm’s and its competitors’ SWOT analyses, financial investments, products, and management information in our 380-page report.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? TELL YOUR FRIENDS; WE DO THIS EVERY DAY, ALL DAY.