The Saudi-US Investment Forum kicked off today in Riyadh, drawing an unprecedented assembly of Silicon Valley's elite alongside President Donald Trump, who is making his first foreign trip of his second term.
The invitation-only event at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center has attracted Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, OpenAI's Sam Altman, and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, underscoring the growing intersection of American tech innovation and Saudi capital. Other notable attendees include BlackRock's Larry Fink, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, and White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks.
The timing is significant, as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman just announced the launch of Humain, a new AI venture poised to become the 'prime vehicle to drive the kingdom's AI strategy.' Backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which manages assets worth approximately $940 billion, Humain will invest in advanced data centers, cloud computing infrastructure, and develop one of the world's most powerful Arabic large language models.
'This gathering is more than just a political sideshow—it's a multi-billion-dollar opportunity zone where AI, defense, healthcare, and technology will converge,' said Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih, who emphasized that the kingdom views the US as 'unmatched in terms of both capital markets and innovation.'
The forum represents a critical juncture in Saudi-US economic relations, with President Trump seeking to secure Saudi Arabia's pledged $600 billion in US investments over the next four years. This commitment was reportedly made by the Crown Prince during a January call with then-president-elect Trump.
For Saudi Arabia, the high-profile tech presence validates its Vision 2030 economic diversification strategy. With oil prices at a four-year low in 2025, the kingdom faces mounting pressure to accelerate investments in non-oil sectors. The PIF has already committed significant resources to AI development, including a $40 billion AI fund announced in 2024 and strategic investments in US tech companies totaling $7.4 billion since 2019.
However, the forum also highlights the tension between financial opportunity and ethical considerations. Human rights organizations have criticized Saudi Arabia's record on civil liberties, raising questions about the responsibilities of tech leaders engaging with the kingdom. Despite these concerns, the convergence of global tech and political power in Riyadh signals Saudi Arabia's growing influence in shaping the future of artificial intelligence and technology investment.