NEOM, the sustainable region taking shape in northwest Saudi Arabia, and DataVolt, a Saudi-based international developer, investor and operator of data centres, signed a landmark agreement, marking a significant step toward realising the Kingdom’s vision for a sustainable, data-driven economy.
The development will take a phased approach, with phase one – funded by an initial investment of USD 5 billion – expected to be operational by 2028. Aligning with Oxagon’s ambition, the 1.5-gigawatt factory will integrate a wide range of computing densities and energy-efficient architectures to address the global challenges posed by traditional data centres.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), data centres currently consume between 1 to 1.3 per cent of global electricity demand. With the advancements of generative AI, power consumption is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. The energy-intensive nature of data centres and the cumulative impact of associated carbon emissions necessitate a rapid need for a transition to clean sustainable solutions.
Commenting on the landmark announcement, Vishal Wanchoo, CEO of Oxagon, said: “The Kingdom is at the forefront of the global energy transition. At Oxagon, we are accelerating a renewable energy industrial ecosystem that is set to power businesses with green energy and technology solutions. The agreement with DataVolt highlights the potential impact of the sustainable infrastructure Oxagon offers its tenants and sets the foundations for the first green-AI workload to come on-stream in KSA along with the necessary computing power for regional and global impact.”
Rajit Nanda, CEO of DataVolt, added: “This agreement with NEOM and Oxagon underscores our unwavering commitment to support the Kingdom’s vision of becoming a regional digital and AI hub. The Kingdom’s strategic location, coupled with its abundant green energy resources, aligns perfectly with DataVolt’s mission in providing state-of-the-art sustainable data centres. This project marks a significant milestone in advancing the Kingdom’s leadership as a digital powerhouse in the region.”
As part of the agreement, Oxagon will lease DataVolt the land for the development of the facility and provide the sustainable data centre operator with infrastructure support. The ambition is for the facility to be entirely powered by renewable energy, providing a fully integrated, end-to-end data centre solution. The project will utilise advanced cooling technologies and is designed to operate at net zero, addressing the global challenges of power availability and the carbon footprint posed by data centres.
Oxagon’s strategic location on the Red Sea coast, combined with access to sub-sea cables providing fiber connectivity, alongside cost-competitive renewable energy, green hydrogen, and a rapidly expanding industrial ecosystem, makes it the ideal location for DataVolt to develop a large-scale green AI factory.
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