Saudi-backed Humain invests $3B in xAI before SpaceX merger
What's the deal? Saudi Arabia’s state-backed AI firm HumainDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has invested $3 billion in Elon MuskDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →’s xAIDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, becoming a significant minority shareholder. The stake was made just before xAI was merged into SpaceX in a deal valuing the combined business at about $1.25 trillion.
Humain said its holdings have been converted into SpaceX shares, deepening the kingdom’s ties with Musk’s AI and space ventures.
Why now? Saudi Arabia is accelerating efforts to turn oil wealth into tech influence. Humain, backed by the Public Investment FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin SalmanDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, is building data centres and investing in AI companies at home and abroad.
Musk is also seeking capital and infrastructure partners as xAI competes with OpenAI, Google, and AnthropicDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Humain and xAI are planning a 500-megawatt data centre in Saudi Arabia.
What could go wrong? The investment may attract regulatory scrutiny given the strategic importance of SpaceX and AI infrastructure. Large-scale AI expansion also depends on access to chips, energy, and stable policy support.
The signal: Gulf sovereign wealth is becoming a major force in AI, backing frontier labs and the compute infrastructure behind them. Regional competition with the United Arab Emirates is increasingly playing out through capital, data centres, and strategic stakes in global tech leaders.
Sources:
Humain
Reuters
Bloomberg
The New York Times
Arab News
PR Newswire
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