Saudi Arabia has joined the global race for massive data centers with the launch of the Hexagon Data Center in Riyadh, representing the world’s largest government data center, classified as Tier IV.
The Hexagon Data Center aims to leverage advanced technologies to support the Kingdom’s developmental sectors, as data has become the primary driver of modern developmental change.
These efforts are guided by the strategy of the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) and Saudi Vision 2030, ensuring the Kingdom remains at the forefront of countries harnessing cutting-edge technologies for human benefit and national progress.
The center embodies the vision of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Chairman of SDAIA’s Board of Directors, for Saudi Arabia to become a global hub for advanced technologies.
Establishing robust digital infrastructure is considered a strategic necessity to ensure the Kingdom’s technical sovereignty over data and further diversify non-oil revenue sources. Saudi Arabia already ranks first globally on several indicators, including in the Global AI Index’s government strategy.
Although the concept of data centers began in the 1950s with the emergence of large, climate-controlled rooms housing supercomputers to protect sensitive equipment, the sector has rapidly evolved over time.
The development accelerated particularly with the rise of the Internet in the late 1990s, gaining strategic international importance after the launch of cloud computing services in 2006. By 2020, data centers had become an economic priority for countries, further amplified by generative artificial intelligence, which demands immense processing capabilities available only in highly advanced data centers.
Data centers have transformed the concept of economic wealth from finite natural resources into endless digital flows.
Since its establishment in 2019, SDAIA has successfully led the Kingdom’s data and AI agenda, serving as the official authority responsible for data, including big data and AI, as well as the national reference for their regulation, development, and utilization. In just six years, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a major player in the global digital economy and the leading destination in the Middle East for top international tech companies.
SDAIA has pursued the vision of HRH the Crown Prince to elevate the Kingdom to a leadership position in data- and AI-driven economies. Through a range of national initiatives with significant local and global impact, SDAIA has risen on global indicators for advanced technologies in only a few years. It has built an integrated data ecosystem, the most advanced in the Middle East, offering innovative digital products that have generated significant economic and social benefits in Saudi Arabia.
SDAIA’s efforts extend beyond technical achievements, encompassing the creation of a strong legislative and regulatory framework for data and AI in Saudi Arabia.
Key measures include the Personal Data Protection Law and its implementing regulations, which establish strict rules for data processing and safeguarding individual privacy; the issuance of principles and standards for generative AI; the AI Adoption Framework; the Rules Governing the National Register of Controllers within the Kingdom; and the application of best practices to ensure robust data protection.
These initiatives contribute to sustainable development and strengthen trust in the Kingdom’s digital ecosystem.
The Hexagon Data Center serves as the seed for a future network of centers that will be established across the Kingdom, according to SDAIA’s strategic expansion plan. The plan is designed to accommodate the rapidly growing demand for national digital infrastructure services and to ensure maximum system availability based on global best practices and benchmarking standards.
The center meets the U.S. Green Building Council’s advanced LEED Gold standards for energy-efficient and sustainably designed facilities, combining technical performance with environmental responsibility.
SDAIA’s strategy aims for the Kingdom’s data centers to generate a cumulative local economic impact exceeding SAR10 billion, along with annual financial savings of more than SAR1.8 billion. These centers are expected to bolster the national economy through non-oil resources and significantly improve quality of life by advancing the digital maturity of government applications that serve citizens and residents across Saudi Arabia.
The Hexagon Data Center has a massive capacity of 480 MW and spans more than 30 million square feet.
It employs innovative solutions that leverage advanced technologies in energy efficiency and smart cooling, including direct liquid cooling and hybrid cooling systems, in order to achieve the lowest power usage effectiveness.
The center also integrates renewable energy as a sustainable power source, supporting its classification as one of the world’s largest green data centers built to LEED Gold standards.
The Hexagon center has obtained international accreditations for applying the global TIA-942 standard, one of the world’s most prominent engineering benchmarks for data centers.
The standard is based on an operational architecture that incorporates dual and independent paths and systems, ensuring high technical reliability, enhanced infrastructure efficiency, and sustained operational readiness even under the most demanding operating conditions. This underscores the center’s commitment to infrastructure that rivals leading global facilities.
The center has also received the Tier IV certification, the highest global standard for data center reliability, which guarantees fault tolerance and an operational availability of 99.995%.
In addition, the center has been awarded the ISO/IEC 22237 certification, a globally recognized reference for infrastructure availability and protection against technical and environmental risks. This ensures a secure and stable operating environment and supports the sustainability of digital services provided to government entities in line with the highest international standards.
