China hits record number of rooftop solar panels in 2021

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Updated 20 January 2022
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China hits record number of rooftop solar panels in 2021

RIYADH: China saw a record number of rooftop solar panels installed in 2021, adding 29 gigawatts to the country’s energy capacity.

This figure represents more than half of the total solar capacity of 51GW rolled out across China last year, Bloomberg reported, citing the National Energy Administration.

The majority of the capacity was installed in the final quarter of 2021 as developers hastened to meet a subsidy deadline.

The Asian country currently holds a total of 108GW of rooftop solar, which is more than anywhere else worldwide.

Despite this, the 65GW forecasted by the main industry body for the year 2021 were cut short due to the high costs and project delays which hindered larger scale installations.

Nevertheless, estimates indicate high growth rates in 2022 accumulating to over 75GW.

This record number is attributed to the government’s support for residential solar along with the development of vast clean energy hubs in the country.

As local authorities are now able to purchase in bulk in an attempt to reduce prices, installations are expected to further flourish.

In addition, the pilot program — which kicked off last year to encourage consumption — managed to draw hundreds of cities and towns.

Accordingly, program participants will be expected to install panels on 50 percent of government buildings, 40 percent of schools and hospitals,  30 percent of industrial buildings, and 20 percent of rural homes, by the end of 2023.

 


PIF’s Humain invests $3bn in Elon Musk’s xAI prior to SpaceX acquisition

Updated 18 February 2026
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PIF’s Humain invests $3bn in Elon Musk’s xAI prior to SpaceX acquisition

JEDDAH: Humain, an artificial intelligence company owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, invested $3 billion in Elon Musk’s xAI shortly before the startup was acquired by SpaceX.

As part of xAI’s Series E round, Humain acquired a significant minority stake in the company, which was subsequently converted into shares of SpaceX, according to a press release.

The transaction reflects PIF’s broader push to position Saudi Arabia as a central hub in the global AI ecosystem, as part of its Vision 2030 diversification strategy.

Through Humain, the fund is seeking to combine capital deployment with infrastructure buildout, partnerships with leading technology firms, and domestic capacity development to reduce reliance on oil revenues and expand into advanced industries.

The $3 billion commitment offers potential for long-term capital gains while reinforcing the company’s role as a strategic, scaled investor in transformative technologies.

CEO Tareq Amin said: “This investment reflects Humain’s conviction in transformational AI and our ability to deploy meaningful capital behind exceptional opportunities where long-term vision, technical excellence, and execution converge, xAI’s trajectory, further strengthened by its acquisition by SpaceX, one of the largest technology mergers on record, represents the kind of high-impact platform we seek to support with significant capital.” 

The deal builds on a large-scale collaboration announced in November at the US-Saudi Investment Forum, where Humain and xAI committed to developing over 500 megawatts of next-generation AI data center and computing infrastructure, alongside deploying xAI’s “Grok” models in the Kingdom.

In a post on his X handle, Amin said: “I’m proud to share that Humain has invested $3 billion into xAI’s Series E round, just prior to its historic acquisition by SpaceX. Through this transaction, Humain became a significant minority shareholder in xAI.”

He added: “The investment builds on our previously announced 500MW AI infrastructure partnership with xAI in Saudi Arabia, reinforcing Humain’s role as both a strategic development partner and a scaled global investor in frontier AI.”

He noted that xAI’s trajectory, further strengthened by SpaceX’s acquisition, exemplifies the high-impact platforms Humain aims to support through strategic investments.

Earlier in February, SpaceX completed the acquisition of xAI, reflecting Elon Musk’s strategy to integrate AI with space exploration.

The combined entity, valued at $1.25 trillion, aims to build a vertically integrated innovation ecosystem spanning AI, space launch technology, and satellite internet, as well as direct-to-device communications and real-time information platforms, according to Bloomberg.

Humain, founded in August, consolidates Saudi Arabia’s AI initiatives under a single entity. From the outset, its vision has extended beyond domestic markets, participating across the global AI value chain from infrastructure to applications.

The company represents a strategic initiative by PIF to diversify the Kingdom’s economy and reduce oil dependence by investing in knowledge-based and advanced technologies.