PIF, Google Cloud Partner to Establish AI Hub in Saudi Arabia

PIF and Google Cloud announced on Wednesday a strategic partnership to establish a global artificial intelligence (AI) hub near Dammam, in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Region.
According to a press release issued by the PIF, the landmark partnership, signed at the 8th edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII8), further positions Saudi Arabia as a global AI hub and a top destination for enterprises and startups. This collaboration aims to enhance the Saudi workforce by offering AI programs to millions of students and professionals, supporting the national objective of growing the information and communication technology (ICT) sector by 50%.
Under this partnership, customers will be able to leverage Google Cloud’s technology to drive growth across industries and expand the capacity for AI application delivery. Businesses and their consumers can anticipate improved AI application quality and data services, delivered locally and with greater efficiency, SPA reported.
Subject to regulatory approvals, the partnership will emphasize joint research on Arabic language models and Saudi-specific AI applications. Enabled by Google Cloud’s substantial investment and expertise in custom silicon, this high-performance infrastructure will feature the latest tensor processing unit (TPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) accelerators, along with the Vertex AI platform—Google Cloud’s specialized development environment for building generative AI applications.
The release added atht this collaboration underscores Saudi Arabia’s attractiveness for major tech initiatives. Investors are drawn to the nation’s strategic location at the crossroads of three continents, its advanced infrastructure, its access to fast-growing Middle Eastern markets, and the potential for reliable and affordable renewable energy to support the AI hub.
Governor of PIF Yasir Al-Rumayyan said, “We are delighted to welcome this new Google Cloud AI hub to Saudi Arabia. This partnership demonstrates PIF’s dedication to fostering an AI-friendly environment through investments in human capital and technology, upskilling thousands with cutting-edge tools to support our sustainable and innovative infrastructure goals. Saudi Arabia is a prime location for global tech partners, as PIF brings both sector expertise and a long-term approach to investment.”
Meanwhile, President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google Ruth Porat added, “This strategic partnership will accelerate the adoption of AI in the local language and across industries—including healthcare, retail, financial services, and more—for enterprises and startups in Saudi Arabia, across the Middle East, Africa, and worldwide. As part of Saudi Arabia’s vibrant technology ecosystem, we aim to create highly skilled jobs for Saudis and provide opportunities for global businesses to drive growth through cloud adoption.”
Technology is one of PIF’s priority investment sectors, enabling critical areas of the economy, including entertainment, financial services, healthcare, transportation, logistics, utilities, and renewables. PIF’s telecom, communications, and technology investments include the Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE), which delivers digital and cyber services through national talent, and iot squared, a company specializing in the Internet of Things.
To advance Arabic-language models, PIF and Google Cloud will explore enhancing the Arabic-language capabilities of Gemini, Google’s generative AI model family, by integrating additional Arabic datasets with Google Cloud’s technology. This will provide local businesses, researchers, and developers the opportunity to incorporate these models into their systems, enabling sophisticated Arabic-language AI agents and applications.
Preliminary research commissioned by Google Cloud and conducted by tech policy advisory firm Access Partnership estimates the new AI hub could contribute a cumulative $71 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP over eight years. Increased economic activity from AI adoption is expected to support the creation of thousands of highly skilled direct and indirect jobs.
These investments expand on Google Cloud’s existing presence in Saudi Arabia, which includes the Dammam cloud region, launched last year as part of Google Cloud’s global network of 40 regions.

Iranians will soon be able to get their hands on iPhones 14, 15 and 16 after authorities lifted a ban on new smartphone models by the US tech giant Apple, according to an announcement Wednesday.

The ban on new iPhone models had been in place since 2023 but now, the country's telecommunications minister said authorities are allowing the registration of the new models.

The minister, Satar Hashemi, said on X that the problem of registering new iPhone models on the Iranian market was “solved” and that Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian backed the efforts of the communication ministry toward that goal.

Hashemi did not elaborate but said the import measures would be announced, soon.

Following the 2023 ban, iPhone 13 and older versions could still be imported amid high demand for an item that remains a status symbol for many young Iranians.

While the ban was in place, any iPhone 14, 15 or a newer model brought into Iran would stop working on Iran’s state-controlled mobile phone networks after one month, the time span for tourists allowed to visit the county.

The ban spurred a parallel economy for the older handsets, jacking up prices for the devices as many sought to put their depreciating Iranian rials into any physical commodity. It was a sign of the economic woes plaguing Iran after decades of Western sanctions.

Imports of iPhones have long been a contentious point — government statistics suggest that about a third of Iran’s entire $4.4 billion mobile phone import market consisted of iPhones before the ban.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in 2020 pointedly criticized iPhone imports though he had previously slammed what he described as all American luxury goods.

“Excessive imports are something dangerous,” Khamenei said at the time, according to a transcript on his official website. “Sometimes this import is a luxury product, meaning there is no need for it. I’ve heard about half a billion dollars were spent to import one type of American luxury cellphone.”

However, other foreign smartphone brands such as Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, Xiaomi and Huawei remain widely available in Iran.

PIF, Google Cloud Partner to Establish AI Hub in Saudi Arabia