In today’s globalized world, the integration of technology and the energy industry is reshaping the global economic landscape at an unprecedented pace. On May 15, 2025, a groundbreaking announcement shook the global tech and energy sectors: Saudi Aramco and Nvidia entered into a strategic partnership worth up to \$90 billion. This collaboration, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, has stirred up ripples that will continue to rewrite the trajectory of both the global energy and AI sectors for years and even decades to come.
Massive Investment: Laying the Foundation for AI Computing Power
HUMAIN, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund focusing on AI, is entrusted with the task of building Saudi Arabia’s AI infrastructure as part of this partnership. Its ambitious five-year plan is eye-catching: to invest in and construct an AI factory with a total scale of 500MW. To support the massive AI computing demand, the factory is expected to purchase hundreds of thousands of Nvidia’s most advanced AI GPUs. In the first phase, an AI supercomputer, consisting of 18,000 GB300 superchips based on the advanced Blackwell Ultra architecture, will rise. These chips will provide an AI performance of 15PFlops per node (15 quadrillion operations per second), with 288GB of HBM3e high-bandwidth memory, enabling efficient support for large-scale model training and physical AI simulations. The supercomputer will utilize Nvidia’s InfiniBand interconnect technology, with a data transfer rate soaring to 14.4TB/s. This will solidify Saudi Arabia’s “sovereign AI model,” laying a robust computing power foundation and placing the country in a leading position in the global AI computing race right from the start.
Transforming the Energy Industry Across Multiple Sectors
- Intelligent Oil and Gas Exploration: Unlocking New Energy Reserves
In the field of oil and gas exploration, traditional methods are like groping in the dark, consuming vast amounts of time and money with low efficiency. The introduction of AI technology in the partnership between Saudi Aramco and Nvidia provides a “smart eye” for exploration work. By utilizing AI-powered well data analysis systems, vast geological data can be quickly and accurately analyzed. The audit process, which once took weeks, is now compressed to just 24 hours, greatly improving exploration efficiency. Even more astonishingly, AI’s deep analysis may unlock up to 5 billion barrels of light crude oil reserves, which is equivalent to adding the production capacity of 20 medium-sized oil fields, giving Saudi Arabia’s energy sector a major boost and reinforcing its dominant position in the global oil and gas industry. - Predictive Maintenance for Refining Equipment: Ensuring Stable Production
Refining equipment is a key part of the energy industry, and its stable operation is crucial. Traditional maintenance approaches are often reactive, leading to production interruptions and significant economic losses. Nvidia’s AI technology shines in this area by utilizing real-time monitoring systems that can issue fault warnings 48 hours in advance. By continuously monitoring and analyzing equipment performance data, the system can dynamically optimize catalytic cracking parameters, significantly reducing unplanned downtime by 70%. Additionally, using digital twin technology, the entire refining process can be dynamically simulated in a virtual environment, reducing on-site testing costs by 85%. These technologies not only ensure the continuity and stability of refining operations but also save companies a substantial amount in operating costs, improving production efficiency and economic returns. - Digital Twin for the Entire Industry Chain: Achieving Efficient Collaboration Across the Industry
A key highlight of this partnership is the full industry chain digital twin. Based on Nvidia’s Omniverse platform, digital twin technology can create a virtual model identical to the real energy industry chain, enabling real-time simulation and monitoring of every step, from production and transportation to storage and sales. In this virtual world, various scenarios can be tested and optimized, providing the best decision-making support for actual operations. For instance, through the digital twin model, energy transportation routes can be accurately planned, improving efficiency and reducing logistics costs. Energy storage solutions can be optimized to ensure safe storage and efficient use of energy. This full industry chain digital collaboration breaks down traditional information barriers between different stages, enabling the efficient allocation and coordination of industry resources and providing strong technological support for the energy sector’s transformation and upgrading.
Strategic Layout: Leading the Future of the Industry
With its unique energy advantages and some of the lowest electricity prices globally, at just \$0.03 per kilowatt-hour, Saudi Arabia is actively positioning itself to create an “energy-computing power composite” infrastructure model. As the Saudi Aramco-Nvidia collaboration progresses, this model’s appeal is becoming more apparent. It is expected that within the next three years, Saudi Arabia will attract over 200 AI companies to establish regional headquarters, forming a powerful industrial cluster effect.
This collaboration has also triggered a ripple effect across the global energy industry. Energy giants such as ExxonMobil have urgently launched similar projects and increased their AI investments to avoid falling behind in this technological revolution. This competitive dynamic has directly caused Nvidia’s chip orders to surge by 300%, officially marking the start of the AI computing arms race in the global energy industry. Energy companies have realized that mastering advanced AI technology and powerful computing capabilities will be a key factor in determining their survival and growth in future market competition.
At the same time, this industrial transformation has given rise to a new career system. The demand for emerging job roles like AI compliance architects and digital twin operations engineers has surged, with salaries for related professionals exceeding \$150,000 annually, making them the new elite in the workforce. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is also planning to build the world’s first “Energy Metaverse Innovation Accelerator,” aiming to incubate over 100 industrial AI startups. These initiatives will further improve Saudi Arabia’s AI industry ecosystem, positioning the country as a global hub for the fusion of AI and energy, leading the energy industry toward a smarter and more digital future.
