Humain to launch self-driving trucks across Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia wants to deploy autonomous trucks on its roads by 2030 as it turns its vast desert highways into an alternative freight route to the war-disrupted Strait of Hormuz.

Humain, an artificial intelligence owned by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund and Saudi Aramco, announced on Monday that it’s teaming up with California-based Applied Intuition to build a national autonomous logistics network that could eventually include robotaxis and ports.

Applied Intuition has opened an office in Riyadh, and Humain CEO Tareq Amin said that together the two companies will make this region the first to deploy autonomous trucking at scale.”

Humain has been building data centers and investing in AI companies since its launch last year. Recently, it took a stake in AI video-generation startup Luma AI and formed a joint venture with chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. to increase data center capacity in Saudi Arabia.

The project also advances the Saudi sovereign wealth fund’s push into logistics as attacks by Iran and Yemen have made shipping treacherous through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.