Saudi Arabia plans $100bn AI and data entity
7 November 2024
Saudi Arabia is planning a new artificial intelligence (AI) project with the backing of as much as $100bn, according to a Bloomberg report.
Known as Project Transcendence, the state-backed entity is envisaged to invest in data centres, startups and other related infrastructure to develop AI.
It will also focus on recruiting new talent to the kingdom, developing the local ecosystem and encouraging tech companies to invest in the Gulf state.
Related read: Riyadh AI goals require colossal mindset and capital shift
The entity is expected to set up with a structure similar to Alat, backed by $100bn in capital from the Saudi sovereign vehicle, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), and which aims to transform the kingdom into a global manufacturing hub for electronics and advanced industries.
Project Transcendence is expected to partner with large, established tech companies, with the Saudis offering help with infrastructure and capital.
According to the report, the amount invested could be between $50bn and $100bn.
An AI fund with a significantly smaller backing of up to $40bn was rumoured to be launched by the Saudi government earlier this year. However, no such launch or announcement was made during the three-day Global AI (Gain) summit held in Riyadh in September.
According to the Bloomberg report, Project Transcendence may ultimately include multiple government bodies and will aim to fund AI infrastructure and startups, as well as "bridge the kingdom’s gap with the US and China on AI expertise".
Saudi officials are also understood to be discussing an AI entity that will turn into a national champion, at least as big as Abu Dhabi’s AI vehicle, G42.
The planned launch of Project Transcendence comes a few months after Abu Dhabi-based AI-focused investment company MGX partnered with US-headquartered BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and Microsoft to establish the Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership (GAIIP).
GAIIP aims to mobilse up to $100bn to meet growing demand for computing power as well as infrastructure to create new sources of power for such facilities.
AI is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to identify new revenue sources as it diversifies away from fossil fuels.
In 2019, the government formed the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) as the competent authority to help oversee the execution of the kingdom's AI strategy.
Since then, the Saudi government's spending on AI registered a compound annual growth rate of 59%.
The kingdom also attracted $1.7bn in AI funding in 2023 alone, with more expected over the coming years as the likes of US tech giants Google, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Oracle have pledged multi-year, mutlibillion-dollar investments to build regional AI hubs in Saudi Arabia.
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Kuwait receives bids for Al-Khairan phase one IWPP2 June 2026

Two developer consortiums have submitted bids for the first phase of Kuwait’s Al-Khairan independent water and power producer (IWPP) project, according to a source.
Bids were received by the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp) on 1 June.
The facility will have a capacity of 1,800MW and 150,000 cubic metres a day of desalinated water. It will be located in Al-Khairan, adjacent to the Al-Zour South thermal plant.
The bidders include:
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The Al-Khairan IWPP is being procured by Kapp in partnership with the Ministry of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy (MEWRE).
The main contract was tendered last September. Three consortiums and two individual companies were previously prequalified to participate in the tender.
Ernst & Young, BNP Paribas, AtkinsRealis and Addleshaw Goddard are financial advisers on the project. Chadbourne & Parke is acting as legal adviser.
The winning bidder will sign a set of public-private partnership agreements covering financing, design, construction, operation and transfer of the project. The energy conversion and water-purchase agreement is expected to cover a 25-year supply period.
Future phases
The Al-Khairan IWPP project is expected to run on low-sulphur fuel oil as the primary fuel and to accommodate crude oil, gas oil and natural gas as backup fuels. Future phases will further expand capacity.
It is understood that the estimated $750m second phase of the Al-Khairan IWPP project will add a further 1,800MW of generation capacity through a combined-cycle gas-fired power plant.
The project, first mooted over a decade ago, remains in the early development stages, with no plans currently to advance to procurement in 2026, a source said.
According to the source, the immediate focus is on advancing plans for the 3,600MW Nuwaiseeb power and water desalination IWPP project.
The Nuwaiseeb IWPP plant will have a desalination capacity of 75 million imperial gallons a day.
Kapp plans to release a transaction advisory tender for the project by the end of the year.
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Doosan confirms Saudi Jafurah 2 cogen contract2 June 2026
South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility has confirmed it has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract worth about $556m for the second phase of the Jafurah combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Saudi Arabia.
The project is being developed by Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) in partnership with Saudi Aramco.
Doosan said the contract covers design, equipment supply, installation, construction and commissioning of the facility.
The Jafurah CHP phase 2 project will be built near the Jafurah gas field, about 400 kilometres east of Riyadh. Once operational, it will generate 330MW of electricity and produce 465 tonnes of steam an hour for the nearby gas field.
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Jafurah phase one
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Construction works were completed on the facility last November.
At the time of its procurement, the plant’s first phase was to have a power capacity of 270-320MW, and a low-pressure (LP) steam demand of 77-166 thousand pounds an hour (klb/hr) and high-pressure (HP) steam demand of 29-126 klb/hour by 2023.
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The oil giant issued the letter of award to Kepco for the contract to develop the Jafurah ISPP scheme in July 2022.
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Al-Mabanee submits lowest bids for Kuwait infrastructure2 June 2026
Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has opened commercial bids for two major infrastructure and public buildings packages at South Al-Mutlaa Residential City.
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Local developer secures finance for three Riyadh projects2 June 2026
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