Arab AI Leaders Propel Gulf’s Rise in Global AI

Two prominent Arab figures have earned a place on TIME100 AI 2025, signaling the Gulf region’s growing influence in artificial intelligence. Tareq Amin, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN, and Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE’s National Security Advisor and Chairman of G42, are changing the AI landscape with groundbreaking initiatives.

Their inclusion reflects substantial Gulf investment in AI infrastructure, localized language technology, and global partnerships—positioning the Middle East not just as a consumer of AI, but as a strategic contender.

Humain: Arabic Language Model Built for the Region

Tareq Amin heads HUMAIN, an AI startup launched by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund aimed at building sovereign AI capabilities. The company focuses on developing advanced Arabic language models tailored to the linguistic and cultural nuances of the Middle East. This move addresses the major gap in accessible AI tools for 400 million native Arabic speakers (Financial Times, 2025).

HUMAIN is also launching a $10 billion venture fund to support AI startups across the US, Europe, and Asia, with potential partnerships with key industry players like OpenAI and Andreessen Horowitz—highlighting the region’s global ambitions (Financial Times, 2025).

The company has already announced a major partnership with Nvidia and AMD to develop high-performance AI infrastructure domestically, ensuring it remains independent from foreign technology dependencies. In addition, HUMAIN is building cloud services and data centers within Saudi Arabia, in line with Vision 2030 goals to diversify the economy and promote technological self-sufficiency (Reuters, 2025).

Stargate UAE: World-Class AI Infrastructure in Abu Dhabi

In the UAE, Sheikh Tahnoun is driving the Stargate UAE project: one of the world’s largest AI data center complexes, outside the United States. Spearheaded by G42, this initiative includes a 5 gigawatt AI campus featuring a 1 gigawatt GPU cluster in Abu Dhabi. The first 200 megawatt phase is expected to be operational by the end of 2026, powered by a collaboration with OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, and SoftBank (The National News, 2025; Wall Street Journal, 2025).

The scale of this project will position the UAE as a major AI infrastructure hub globally, enabling rapid development and deployment of AI applications. In addition, G42’s partnership with Microsoft involves a $1.5 billion investment to develop AI talent and infrastructure, ensuring a sustainable pipeline of skilled professionals to maintain and expand AI innovation within the region (Wired, 2025).

Gulf Investment & Sovereignty Strategy

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are channeling immense resources—via sovereign wealth funds like the PIF and Abu Dhabi’s investment portfolios—into AI infrastructure, language models, and startup support. HUMAIN’s funding and G42’s infrastructure projects reflect a broader push toward ensuring AI sovereignty and economic diversification (Wired, 2025).

This strategy extends beyond technology to include governance and ethical frameworks for AI use. Both nations are actively developing policies to ensure that AI technologies are deployed responsibly and in line with cultural values and legal standards. This focus on AI ethics and governance is viewed as a crucial step to balancing innovation with societal needs (Financial Times, 2025).

Bridging Gaps in Research, Talent & Governance

Despite their scale of investment, the Gulf states face ongoing challenges, especially in building local AI research capabilities and workforce depth. To address these issues, initiatives are underway to attract international talent through specialized visas, tax incentives, and partnerships with global institutions like Nvidia, AMD, and Mistral (Financial Times, 2025).

In parallel, education systems are being overhauled to integrate AI and data science skills, nurturing a new generation of AI experts who can contribute to and sustain the region’s technological ambitions. Universities and research centers in the Gulf are partnering with international counterparts to develop advanced curricula and conduct cutting-edge AI research.

Shaping the AI Narrative

Tareq Amin and Sheikh Tahnoun’s presence on TIME100 AI 2025 is not merely individual recognition; it signals the Middle East’s transition from tech adopters to strategic AI innovators. Through HUMAIN, localized language AI becomes a cultural asset. Through G42, the region builds compute power that rivals global superpowers.

As global AI competition intensifies, the Gulf states are carving out a unique position—integrating national vision, financial muscle, and technological ambition into a new AI reality.

With ambitious projects, strategic investments, and a clear vision for the future, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are rapidly becoming key players in the global AI ecosystem.