Saudi Telecom Company (STC), through its Center3 subsidiary, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Humain to form a data center joint venture (JV) in Saudi Arabia.

The JV will develop and operate AI-focused data centers in the Kingdom, aiming to develop 1GW of capacity.

The JV, signed on December 18, will initially target 250MW of capacity "subject to contractual commitments with customers."

Humain holds a 51 percent stake in the joint venture, and STC holds the remaining 49 percent.

According to the MoU, the JV "brings together Center3’s scale, data-center leadership, and extensive regional connectivity with HUMAIN’s strategic mandate to champion end-to-end capabilities – laying the groundwork for high-capacity, low-latency infrastructure critical to the AI era."

The MoU is set to last for six months.

This is not the first time Humain and Center3 have worked together. In October 2025, the two signed a connectivity deal to establish "advanced connectivity services" to enable Humain’s mission to position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for AI.

Center3 was formed in 2022, and has some 20 data centers already in development and operation in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The company previously stated a goal of reaching 300MW of total installed capacity by 2027 and 1GW of capacity by 2030.

Humain is an AI venture established in May 2025 as a subsidiary of the country's Public Investment Fund (PIF) with the aim of delivering 6.6GW of data center capacity over the next decade. The company is developing its own data centers as well as using capacity from other operators to host thousands of Nvidia GPUs.