Qualcomm’s 2019 AI100 Chip Gets Major Deployment in Saudi Arabia
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  25. February 2026     Admin  

Qualcomm’s 2019 AI100 Chip Gets Major Deployment in Saudi Arabia


AI hardware installation center

Qualcomm has achieved a significant milestone as Saudi Arabia’s AI firm Humain receives and deploys **1,024 of the company’s AI100 accelerator chips** — a substantial step for Qualcomm’s data center AI efforts. While this hardware design dates back to 2019, the deployment represents one of the first large-scale real‑world uses of Qualcomm’s AI accelerators in cloud infrastructure.

Quick Insight: In a market dominated by Nvidia and AMD chips, Qualcomm’s AI100 chips have found a niche deployment amid global shortages and high demand for AI compute hardware.

About the AI100 Deployment

Saudi Arabia’s Humain, backed by the Public Investment Fund, took delivery of **1,024 AI100 systems** for use in its AI data center, marking a notable deployment for Qualcomm nearly seven years after the chip was first introduced. The AI100 is designed for **AI inference tasks** — making predictions and running established models — with emphasis on efficiency, though by 2026 standards its memory limits restrict it to models up to around 32 billion parameters.

Why This Matters

The adoption comes during a period of **high demand for AI processors**, with newer chips from companies like Nvidia and AMD facing backlogs that delay delivery. Because many of these latest accelerators are reserved in advance, Humain appears to have opted for the AI100 as a hardware option that was actually available now.

Broader AI Infrastructure Plans

This deployment forms part of a larger AI infrastructure push in Saudi Arabia, where Humain has previously announced partnerships and planned capacity growth to make the Kingdom a global AI hub. Qualcomm has also unveiled newer AI chips — the **AI200** and **AI250** — planned for release later in 2026 and 2027, which aim to offer improved performance and memory for more demanding AI workloads.

Final Thoughts

Qualcomm’s AI100 deployment with Humain highlights how **chip availability and timing** can shape infrastructure decisions in the AI era. Even older architecture can find purpose when cutting‑edge alternatives are in short supply — setting the stage for future innovation as newer Qualcomm AI accelerators arrive.
Tip: In AI infrastructure planning, **chip availability and delivery timelines** can be as important as raw performance — especially when entire data centers are being built.



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