Head of Saudi Arabia’s leading AI firm pledges to U.S. — no ties with China

Saudi AI Chief Tareq Amin Promises the U.S. “No Dealings with China” as Kingdom Seeks Access to Advanced AI Chips

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — October 2025
In a move that highlights the growing intersection of geopolitics and technology, Tareq Amin, the Chief Executive Officer of Humain, Saudi Arabia’s leading artificial intelligence startup, has pledged that his company will never purchase or collaborate with Chinese technology providers, including Huawei Technologies Co. His commitment, made publicly at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, underscores the country’s efforts to win the confidence of Washington as it seeks approval for the import of advanced AI chips from U.S. manufacturers.

The statement comes amid heightened U.S. restrictions on the export of cutting-edge chips to countries perceived as potential gateways to China. For Saudi Arabia — which is rapidly positioning itself as a global AI hub — Amin’s remarks are both a strategic and diplomatic gesture aimed at proving that the Kingdom’s tech ambitions are aligned with American security standards rather than Chinese interests.

A Firm Pledge Amid Global Tech Rivalry

During his remarks at the FII conference, Amin emphasized that Humain has no intention of purchasing or deploying Chinese hardware in its infrastructure.
“In our case, I will never do that,” he said firmly, referring to any potential partnership with Huawei or other Chinese technology suppliers.

The statement directly addresses Washington’s long-standing apprehensions about China’s role in the global technology ecosystem. The U.S. government has, over the years, imposed a series of restrictions and sanctions on Chinese firms such as Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), citing national security concerns and the risk of technology espionage.

Amin’s categorical assurance — “I will never do that” — therefore carries both symbolic and strategic weight. It signals Saudi Arabia’s intention to maintain a transparent and compliant relationship with U.S. authorities, particularly as the Kingdom accelerates its artificial intelligence agenda.

The Roadblock: U.S. Export Restrictions

Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to become a global computing leader face a key hurdle: U.S. export restrictions on high-performance AI chips. Under current U.S. regulations, companies like Nvidia, AMD, and Qualcomm must obtain special licenses before exporting their most advanced semiconductors to the Kingdom.

These restrictions are part of broader American efforts to limit China’s access to powerful computing technologies, a policy that has inadvertently affected other countries as well. For Saudi Arabia, these controls represent a temporary roadblock in its quest to develop world-class AI infrastructure.

Despite these challenges, Amin remains confident that an understanding with Washington is within reach.
“We’re not far away,” he said. “You could derive a possible outcome in November.”

That possible outcome could coincide with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s upcoming visit to the United States, where discussions around AI cooperation and technology transfer are expected to take center stage. The Crown Prince also serves as chairman of Humain, underscoring the strategic importance of the company within Saudi Arabia’s broader digital transformation agenda.

Saudi Arabia’s AI Vision: Building the World’s Third-Largest Computing Network

Founded under the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Humain has laid out an ambitious plan: to become the world’s third-largest computing capacity provider, behind only the United States and China.

The company’s roadmap involves the installation of 18,000 AI chips by 2026, marking what Amin calls the “first phase” of its growth. Over the next five years, the company aims to scale this to 400,000 chips by 2030, creating one of the most powerful AI computing infrastructures in the Middle East.

“Our goal is to make Saudi Arabia not just a consumer of AI technology but a producer of AI capacity,” Amin said. “We want to build an ecosystem that enables innovation across the Arab world and beyond.”

The project aligns closely with Saudi Vision 2030, the Crown Prince’s landmark initiative to diversify the economy away from oil and establish new engines of growth in technology, renewable energy, and digital innovation. AI, data centers, and semiconductor investments have emerged as key pillars of that plan.

Experience With Political and Regulatory Hurdles

Amin’s confidence in navigating Washington’s regulatory framework stems from his prior experience. Before leading Humain, he served as an executive at Rakuten Group Inc., a Japanese technology conglomerate, where he successfully worked through approval processes with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

Recalling that experience, Amin said:
“All I could do, as CEO of a private entity, was to put together what I call the defense package — a comprehensive set of security measures to show the protection mechanisms within Humain. It is remarkably different from anything else in this region.”

According to Amin, Humain’s “defense package” details how the company ensures data protection, cybersecurity compliance, and isolation of critical systems to prevent unauthorized access. Such documentation is a crucial part of the approval process for American export licenses, which require detailed assurances about how sensitive technologies will be secured from potential misuse.

Deepening Ties With U.S. Tech Companies

Humain’s partnerships with U.S. technology firms are another central element of its growth strategy. The company has signed agreements with Nvidia, AMD, and California-based startup Groq, all of which have applied for export licenses to sell advanced chips to Humain.

In a major development earlier this week, Humain announced it would be the first customer of Qualcomm’s new AI processors, designed to compete directly with Nvidia’s GPUs. This partnership reflects both companies’ shared ambition to expand the global AI computing ecosystem.

“These relationships are built on mutual trust,” Amin said. “Our goal is to create a bridge between American innovation and Saudi infrastructure capacity.”

Analysts note that Humain’s focus on American suppliers — combined with its open data governance framework — may strengthen its case with U.S. regulators. If approved, Humain could become the primary regional customer for leading U.S. chipmakers, accelerating technology transfer and joint development in AI computing.

Geopolitics at the Heart of AI Expansion

Amin’s remarks come at a time when AI and semiconductor supply chains have become major flashpoints in global geopolitics. The United States has intensified its efforts to maintain dominance in AI computing while curbing China’s ability to access high-end chips used for military or surveillance applications.

For Washington, Saudi Arabia represents both an opportunity and a challenge. On one hand, the Kingdom’s deep financial resources and strong interest in AI make it a valuable partner in advancing Western-led digital infrastructure in the Middle East. On the other hand, the U.S. is cautious about ensuring that advanced chips sold to Saudi firms are not diverted to Chinese entities — a concern Amin’s assurances aim to address directly.

“By making this public commitment, Amin is signaling that Saudi Arabia wants to be seen as a responsible technology partner,” said a Middle East technology analyst. “This is as much about diplomacy as it is about hardware.”

The Broader AI Race and Saudi Arabia’s Unique Role

Globally, the race to develop AI infrastructure has intensified. Nations are competing to build data centers capable of training large language models and generative AI systems that require vast computing power. The U.S. currently leads the field, with China in close pursuit.

Saudi Arabia’s entry into this race adds a new dimension. With enormous financial backing and strategic geographic positioning, the Kingdom could emerge as a neutral, high-capacity AI hub serving Europe, Africa, and Asia. If successful, Humain’s data centers could host not only domestic AI projects but also international cloud and research workloads, bridging Western technologies with regional markets.

Industry observers believe that Saudi Arabia’s approach — partnering primarily with U.S. and Western firms — gives it a competitive advantage. “What the Saudis are building could be the world’s first neutral AI zone — one that’s not dependent on either Washington or Beijing,” said an international policy expert.

Humain’s Future Outlook: A Blend of Technology and Diplomacy

For Amin, Humain’s future lies at the intersection of technology, trust, and transparency. He believes that by aligning with U.S. security expectations, Humain can not only secure the required export licenses but also pave the way for a long-term strategic partnership between the two countries.

“The vision is clear — we want to be an enabler of global AI progress,” Amin said. “And to do that, we must work with partners who share our values around safety, privacy, and innovation.”

Amin expressed optimism about the ongoing discussions between U.S. and Saudi officials, noting that the tone has been constructive. “I am extremely happy with how the talks are progressing,” he said. “The trust-building that’s happening right now will define our cooperation in technology for years to come.”

A Potential Breakthrough in November

As anticipation builds around Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s upcoming visit to Washington, expectations are rising for a possible announcement on chip export approvals. Sources familiar with the discussions suggest that Washington may grant conditional licenses to U.S. firms like Nvidia and Qualcomm, provided that Saudi Arabia meets certain compliance standards and monitoring requirements.

If those licenses are approved, it would mark a turning point in Saudi-U.S. tech relations, establishing the Kingdom as a preferred destination for advanced AI infrastructure in the Middle East. It could also signal a shift in how the U.S. views technology partnerships with non-allied nations — rewarding transparency and alignment over geopolitical skepticism.

Conclusion: A Defining Moment for Saudi Tech Policy

Tareq Amin’s public assurance to the U.S. government — that Humain will steer clear of Chinese technology providers — may well prove to be a watershed moment for the Kingdom’s tech trajectory. In a region often caught between global powers, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a trusted, Western-aligned AI partner, capable of hosting the next generation of artificial intelligence systems.

If Washington grants the necessary approvals, Humain’s data centers could soon rank among the world’s largest, symbolizing Saudi Arabia’s emergence as an AI superpower of the Global South. For now, the world watches closely as Riyadh and Washington negotiate the delicate balance between innovation, security, and geopolitics — a balance that could define the future of global technology cooperation for decades to come.