Exclusive-AMD, Cisco and Saudi's Humain launch AI joint venture, land first major customer

By Max A. Cherney

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems and Saudi Arabian artificial quality startup Humain are forming a associated task to physique information centers successful the Middle ​East and person landed their archetypal customer, CEOs astatine the 3 companies told Reuters successful an interrogation connected ‌Tuesday.

The yet-to-be-named associated task volition footwear disconnected with a 100-megawatt information halfway task successful Saudi Arabia - the computing capableness of ‌which Humain has contracted to proviso generative video startup Luma AI, according to Humain CEO Tareq Amin. The size of the task and the archetypal lawsuit person not been reported before.

"They volition beryllium the archetypal lawsuit of this cluster," Amin said, adding that Luma has contracted to acquisition the full 100-megawatt capacity.

The associated task betwixt the companies is simply a byproduct of ⁠a flurry of deals announced erstwhile U.S.‌ President Donald Trump visited Riyadh successful May, and much collaboration is expected arsenic Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Trump conscionable successful Washington this week. Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealthiness ‍fund has backed Humain and its plans to nutrient important information halfway buildouts crossed the state due to the fact that of abundant, disposable spot and inexpensive power.

U.S. tech firms specified arsenic Nvidia, Qualcomm besides secured agreements successful May.

In May, AMD said it formed a $10 cardinal collaboration ​with Humain that included purchases of AMD's precocious AI chips. In the associated venture, AMD and Cisco ‌are number shareholders and volition stock successful the nett and nonaccomplishment of the endeavor, the executives said. Humain volition instrumentality the lead, AMD CEO Lisa Su said.

"We volition unneurotic truly person work for ensuring that it's successful," she said.

The companies did not disclose further fiscal details.

The associated task aims to service a marketplace that includes Asia, Europe, India, the Middle East and Africa, Amin said, with a full marketplace of astir 4.5 cardinal people.

The ⁠plans see gathering up to 1 gigawatt of caller information centers to ​support the associated task by 2030.

For the archetypal buildout of 100 megawatts,​ Cisco volition supply the networking instrumentality and different infrastructure and AMD volition supply its MI450 AI chips. The archetypal signifier is planned for operation successful 2026 and volition usage renewable vigor entirely, Amin ‍said. Humain is receiving ⁠purchase orders for immoderate of the aboriginal gathering arsenic well.

Construction has not yet begun connected the assorted projects, Amin said.

In summation to providing infrastructure equipment, Cisco volition besides usage its salesforce to assistance merchantability capableness successful the yet-⁠to-be-built information centers. Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins said that the institution has a 25-year past of putting unneurotic incentives for its income teams ‌and plans to usage that expertise to assistance Humain merchantability its information halfway capacity.

(Reporting by Max ‌A. Cherney successful San Francisco; Editing by Lincoln Feast)