Saudi Arabia launches $2.7bn digital infrastructure push with world’s largest government data centre

Saudi Arabia has entered the global race for large-scale digital infrastructure with the launch of the Hexagon Data Centre in Riyadh, described as the world’s largest government data centre and classified as Tier IV, the highest international standard for reliability.

The Hexagon Data Centre aims to deploy advanced technologies to support the Kingdom’s developmental sectors at a time when data has become a primary driver of modern economic and social transformation.

The initiative aligns with the national strategy led by Saudi Data and AI Authority and the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, positioning Saudi Arabia at the forefront of countries leveraging advanced technologies for human benefit and national progress.

Massive new government data centre in Saudi Arabia

The centre reflects the vision of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister and Chairman of SDAIA’s Board of Directors, to establish Saudi Arabia as a global hub for advanced technologies.

Developing robust digital infrastructure has been identified as a strategic necessity to ensure technical sovereignty over national data while supporting economic diversification beyond oil.

Saudi Arabia already ranks first globally on several indicators, including government strategy in the Global AI Index.

Data centres have evolved significantly since their origins in the 1950s, when large climate-controlled rooms were built to house supercomputers.

Their importance accelerated with the rise of the internet in the late 1990s and expanded further following the launch of cloud computing services in 2006.

By 2020, data centres had become an economic priority for governments worldwide, a trend intensified by generative artificial intelligence, which requires immense processing power available only in highly advanced facilities. As a result, data centres have reshaped the concept of economic wealth from finite natural resources to limitless digital flows.

Saudi Data and AI Authority role

Since its establishment in 2019, SDAIA has led Saudi Arabia’s national data and AI agenda, serving as the official authority responsible for data, big data and artificial intelligence, as well as the national reference for regulation, development and utilisation.

Within six years, the Kingdom has emerged as a major player in the global digital economy and the leading destination in the Middle East for major international technology companies. SDAIA has built an integrated data ecosystem described as the most advanced in the region, delivering innovative digital products with significant economic and social impact.

Beyond technical development, SDAIA has overseen the creation of a comprehensive legislative and regulatory framework for data and AI.

Key measures include:

• The Personal Data Protection Law and its implementing regulations
• Principles and standards for generative AI
• The AI Adoption Framework
• Rules governing the National Register of Controllers
• The application of global best practices to safeguard data and privacy

National network and economic impact

The Hexagon Data Centre is intended as the foundation for a future nationwide network of data centres under SDAIA’s strategic expansion plan.

The programme aims to meet growing demand for national digital infrastructure services while ensuring maximum system availability based on international benchmarks.

SDAIA’s strategy targets a cumulative local economic impact exceeding SR10bn ($2.67bn) from the Kingdom’s data centres, alongside annual financial savings of more than SR1.8bn ($480m).

These benefits are expected to support non-oil economic growth and enhance quality of life by advancing the digital maturity of government services.

Scale and sustainability

The Hexagon Data Centre has a capacity of 480 MW and spans more than 30 million square feet. It incorporates advanced energy-efficiency and smart cooling technologies, including direct liquid cooling and hybrid cooling systems, to achieve minimal power usage effectiveness.

Renewable energy is integrated as a power source, supporting its classification as one of the world’s largest green data centres built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Gold standards.

The facility has achieved international accreditation under the TIA-942 standard, a leading global benchmark for data centre engineering.

It has also received Tier IV certification, guaranteeing fault tolerance and operational availability of 99.995 per cent, as well as ISO/IEC 22237 certification, which ensures infrastructure resilience and protection against technical and environmental risks.