Humain and DataVolt have begun construction of an AI-ready data center in Oxagon, NEOM, with the first 100 megawatts expected to enter service during 2028. The project represents the first phase of a planned complex with total capacity of up to 1.5 gigawatts.
Humain, a Public Investment Fund subsidiary specializing in delivering integrated AI capabilities, and Saudi Arabia-based DataVolt have begun construction of an AI-ready data center in Oxagon, the advanced industrial city within the NEOM project. The center’s first phase has a capacity of 100 megawatts, and is expected to enter service during 2028.
The companies revealed the start of implementation during their participation in LEAP 2026, in an announcement that moves the project from the planning stage to actual construction. The center is located on the Red Sea coast, within a data center complex being developed by DataVolt in Oxagon. The planned capacity of the complex’s first phase is 360 megawatts, while the complex’s total capacity will reach 1.5 gigawatts.
From Data Center Capacity to AI Computing
The facility was designed to provide high-density digital infrastructure targeting large-scale AI and cloud-computing workloads. According to the information announced, the project will rely on renewable energy sources, innovative cooling technologies, and high-performance computing clusters, without providing additional details about the technologies, suppliers, or final operating infrastructure.
The partnership combines Humain’s expertise across the layers of the AI ecosystem with DataVolt’s capabilities in developing, financing, implementing, and operating large-scale digital infrastructure projects. Tareq Amin, Humain’s chief executive officer, said that the value of AI ambitions is tied to converting them into infrastructure and computing capacity that customers can use, adding that construction has begun and that the 100-megawatt project is advancing at the targeted speed and scale.
Why Does This News Matter?
The project’s practical significance is not limited to the capacity of a single data center. Rather, it represents an attempt to build an integrated pathway within Saudi Arabia that starts with energy, land, and network connectivity and ends with computing capabilities dedicated to AI workloads. This indicates that the availability of basic infrastructure has become a central part of the economics of scaling these applications, alongside hardware and software.
The two companies are counting on Oxagon’s advantages, including designated industrial land, widely available energy resources, and low-latency connectivity through submarine cable networks linking the region to Europe and Africa. Rajit Nanda, DataVolt’s chief executive officer, said that implementing infrastructure on this scale requires coordination extending from energy and engineering to construction and operations.
What Has Not Yet Been Settled?
Despite the start of construction, the announced figures still describe a multi-stage project. The 100 megawatts represents the initial capacity targeted to enter service in 2028, within a 360-megawatt phase and a planned complex with capacity of 1.5 gigawatts. The announcement did not identify the customers, the types of processors and computing systems, the implementation schedule for the remaining capacities, or details on efficiency indicators, water consumption, and cooling. Therefore, the project’s full operational value remains tied to the transition from announced plans to ready-to-use capacity.