xAI breaks ground on its biggest international AI data center—a 500-megawatt facility in Saudi Arabia, built in partnership with the Kingdom’s Humain and powered by Nvidia.
Elon Musk announced the move this week, signaling a major step to expand xAI’s global footprint and accelerate deployment of its chatbot, Grok. The project comes alongside xAI’s recent U.S. expansions, including its 300-megawatt facility in Memphis.
The development reflects both Saudi Arabia’s ambition to lead in AI and deepening financial ties with Musk—Kingdom Holding was a key backer of his Twitter acquisition. Still, export controls on advanced AI chips to Saudi Arabia could present a significant hurdle, potentially limiting access to Nvidia's latest technology.