ASIATODAY.ID, RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has sent a clear signal to the world that its future economic power will no longer rest on oil alone.
With the launch of the Hexagon Data Center in Riyadh, on January 2, 2026, the Kingdom is positioning data and artificial intelligence (AI) as its new strategic assets, unveiling the largest government-owned data center in the world with a massive 480-megawatt (MW) capacity and the highest Tier IV reliability certification.
The Hexagon project marks a decisive shift in Saudi Arabia’s development model under Vision 2030, led by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA).
The facility is designed to anchor national digital infrastructure, accelerate AI-driven transformation, and reinforce the Kingdom’s data sovereignty, while supporting long-term diversification away from oil revenues.
The center reflects the vision of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of SDAIA’s Board of Directors, to transform Saudi Arabia into a global hub for advanced technologies and data-driven economies.
With Hexagon, Riyadh is asserting itself in a global digital race long dominated by the United States, Europe, and East Asia.
Saudi Arabia already ranks first globally in several indicators, including government AI strategy in the Global AI Index. Since its establishment in 2019, SDAIA has rapidly elevated the Kingdom into a major player in the global digital economy and the leading destination in the Middle East for top international technology companies.
Historically, data centers began in the 1950s as climate-controlled rooms built to protect early supercomputers. Their strategic importance surged with the rise of the internet in the late 1990s and cloud computing after 2006.
Today, the explosion of generative AI has transformed data centers into critical national assets, as only highly advanced facilities can deliver the immense computing power required.
In this new era, economic value is increasingly derived from limitless digital data flows rather than finite natural resources.
The Hexagon Data Center has been built with sustainability at its core. Covering more than 30 million square feet, the facility deploys direct liquid cooling, hybrid cooling systems, and renewable energy integration to achieve industry-leading energy efficiency.
It meets the LEED Gold standards of the U.S. Green Building Council, making it one of the world’s largest green data centers.
Technically, Hexagon complies with the TIA-942 global engineering standard, featuring fully redundant and independent systems to ensure maximum operational resilience.
Its Tier IV certification guarantees fault tolerance and 99.995% availability, further reinforced by ISO/IEC 22237 certification, which confirms robust protection against technical and environmental risks.
Beyond infrastructure, SDAIA has strengthened Saudi Arabia’s digital ecosystem through a comprehensive legislative and regulatory framework. This includes the Personal Data Protection Law, national principles for generative AI, the AI Adoption Framework, and strict governance rules for data controllers—measures designed to safeguard privacy, enhance trust, and support sustainable digital growth.
Hexagon is intended as the foundation of a nationwide network of data centers to be rolled out across the Kingdom. According to SDAIA projections, this network is expected to generate more than SAR10 billion in cumulative local economic impact, deliver annual savings exceeding SAR1.8 billion, and significantly enhance the quality and efficiency of digital government services.
With the Hexagon Data Center, Saudi Arabia is making a strategic declaration: in the race for global influence, data, AI, and digital infrastructure—not oil—will define the next era of economic power. (SPA)
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