Saudi Arabia has entered the global competition for massive digital infrastructure with the opening of the Hexagon Data Center in Riyadh. This facility is the largest government data center in the world and carries a Tier IV classification. The project is designed to use modern technology to assist the Kingdom’s development sectors and is a key part of the Saudi Vision 2030 strategy. The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) manages the site as part of a plan to keep the nation at the forefront of technical progress.

The new center follows the vision of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. His goal is for the Kingdom to become a major international hub for advanced tech. By building strong digital foundations, Saudi Arabia aims to maintain sovereignty over its data and find new ways to generate revenue outside of the oil industry. The country currently holds the top global spot on several indicators, including the government strategy portion of the Global AI Index.

Data centers have changed significantly since they first appeared in the 1950s as simple rooms for supercomputers. The rise of the internet in the 1990s and cloud computing in 2006 increased their importance. Today, generative AI requires the massive processing power that only facilities like the Hexagon center can provide. This shift has turned digital data into a form of economic wealth that is constantly flowing.

SDAIA has overseen the Kingdom’s AI agenda since 2019. In six years, the nation has become a leading digital economy in the Middle East. Along with technical work, SDAIA has created a legal framework that includes the Personal Data Protection Law and various AI standards. The Hexagon center is the first of many planned across the country to meet the rising demand for digital services.

The facility covers 30 million square feet and has a capacity of 480 MW. It uses smart cooling and renewable energy to meet LEED Gold standards. SDAIA expects these data centers to have a local economic impact of more than SAR10 billion and provide annual savings of over SAR1.8 billion. The center holds the Tier IV certificate, which guarantees a 99.995 per cent availability rate. It also meets the ISO/IEC 22237 standard for protection against technical and environmental risks.