Qualcomm has confirmed its long-rumored data center CPU rollout will start in collaboration with Saudi Arabia's state-backed AI cloud infrastructure project, in partnership with HUMAIN AI. In a press release, the company confirmed it has signed a memorandum of understanding with HUMAIN, a new Saudi Arabian venture backed by the country's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The move represents a return to making data center CPUs after Qualcomm's first failed initiative. Qualcomm famously developed Centriq data center CPUs in 2017 but then canceled the project in 2019. The company later purchased the startup Nuvia, which was designing Arm-based data center CPUs. Qualcomm repurposed the tech for its Snapdragon processors for Windows machines, but speculation has continued that the company would re-enter the data center CPU market with Nuvia's tech under the hood.
