OMM Newsroom
Saudi energy company Aramco’s acquisition of a 49% stake in artificial intelligence firm HUMAIN has highlighted growing interest in the sector among the world’s major energy companies, AnewZ reports. The purpose of the investments and their potential returns depend on the approaches chosen by the companies.
Aramco and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced on November 1 that the deal had been completed. Aramco will invest about 9.9 billion Saudi riyals, or $2.6 billion, in cash in 2026, and will also contribute artificial intelligence, computing and digital assets. PIF retains a controlling 51% stake in HUMAIN.
The agreement supports HUMAIN’s plan to build three gigawatts of artificial intelligence data center capacity by 2030. It also gives Aramco access to infrastructure that could help it develop industrial applications and commercialize its existing digital technologies.
What does Aramco gain through HUMAIN?
Founded in May 2025, HUMAIN develops data centers, high-performance computing infrastructure, cloud platforms, advanced artificial intelligence models and commercial applications. Its products include ALLaM, a large language model in Arabic.
Aramco is acquiring its stake through a wholly owned subsidiary. The announced $2.6 billion is the cash investment Aramco will make in 2026; it is not HUMAIN’s total valuation. The companies have not disclosed the assessed value of the transferred assets or the total value of the deal.
Aramco expects to use HUMAIN’s infrastructure to develop industrial applications and, as a shareholder, potentially benefit from future growth in value. Amin H. Nasser, Aramco’s president and chief executive, said the company had generated $11.3 billion in value through technology since 2023, with artificial intelligence making a significant contribution. The figure reflects value creation attributed by Aramco to technology, not revenue from HUMAIN.
ADNOC and SOCAR prioritize industrial applications
The United Arab Emirates’ Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has chosen a different model through AIQ, which focuses on the energy sector. In 2024, ADNOC and technology company Presight announced an agreement under which Presight would acquire a 51% stake in AIQ and ADNOC would hold 49%. According to ADNOC, AIQ was valued at more than $1.4 billion.
AIQ develops solutions for energy operations, including technologies designed to improve efficiency and support industrial decision-making. On January 16, 2025, ADNOC and AIQ announced that they had successfully completed the pilot phase of ENERGYai, an agent-based artificial intelligence solution designed to transform the energy sector. Unlike HUMAIN, which is building data centers and broader AI infrastructure, AIQ focuses on applications for the energy industry. This model allows ADNOC to commercialize, through a separate company, technologies developed around its production operations.
Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR offers another example of industrial applications. According to the Ministry of Economy, 42 digital and artificial intelligence-based solutions have been introduced at the SOCAR Carbamide plant, covering production, automation and operational efficiency. In February 2026, the ministry said the plant had joined the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network, becoming the first facility in Azerbaijan to receive the recognition.
In August 2026, Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov highlighted the digital transformation of SOCAR Carbamide, citing the EnergyAI platform, predictive maintenance technologies, and improvements in production and energy efficiency. SOCAR’s 2.5-year transformation, launched in 2023 in partnership with McKinsey, included developing platforms such as EnergyAI and predictive maintenance assistants, creating customized digital solutions, and training specialists through the SOCAR Digital Academy.
Jabbarov’s post said the transformation had increased production, improved gas and energy efficiency, strengthened operational reliability and supported the development of local talent. He described the project’s appearance on McKinsey’s global website homepage as international recognition. The post also said SOCAR had received three Digital Lighthouse recognitions from the World Economic Forum and that the experience at SOCAR Carbamide offered a scalable model for the company’s other operations and Azerbaijan’s industrial sector.
SOCAR is also working on new applications. Technologies listed in the company’s official Open Innovation Program for development in its operations include artificial intelligence-based analytics, machine learning, predictive models and automation.
Azerbaijan is also exploring investment opportunities in artificial intelligence infrastructure. In April 2026, the Ministry of Economy confirmed discussions with US-based Haimaker.ai about a proposed data center and cloud platform in the Alat Free Economic Zone. The ministry did not announce a completed investment or disclose an ownership structure.
KazMunayGas applies artificial intelligence to oil production
Kazakhstan’s national oil company KazMunayGas offers an example of artificial intelligence being applied in energy production. In October 2026, the company unveiled a digital twin of the East Moldabek oil field in Atyrau Region.
According to KazMunayGas, the technology combines geological, reservoir and production data to assess development options and support operational decisions. The company said the system evaluates about 700 development scenarios, speeding up technical analysis. Unlike Aramco’s deal with HUMAIN, this is an industrial technology initiative rather than an equity investment in a separate artificial intelligence infrastructure company.
Energy companies’ approaches fall into two broad categories. By taking stakes in artificial intelligence companies, Aramco and ADNOC can seek potential returns from technology revenues while also improving their own industrial operations. The examples of SOCAR and KazMunayGas, by contrast, show artificial intelligence being applied in energy production; the initiatives cited do not indicate comparable investments in separate AI companies.
The financial risks also differ. Industrial applications must demonstrate improvements in efficiency, safety or operational performance. Artificial intelligence infrastructure projects face additional challenges, including high construction costs, access to specialized processors, electricity demand and competition for customers.
HUMAIN’s target of building three gigawatts of data center capacity by 2030 illustrates the scale of the plans. However, planned capacity is not the same as operational capacity or guaranteed revenue.
