GCC, Canada discuss strengthening ties across key sectors

Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen and GCC Secretary General Jasem Al-Budaiwi. GCC
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Updated 07 January 2025
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GCC, Canada discuss strengthening ties across key sectors

  • Talks explored opportunities to deepen alliances, including in education and renewable energy
  • They also discussed pressing regional and international issues

RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council and Canada have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening international development and investment ties following high-level talks between officials.

On Jan. 6, GCC Secretary General Jasem Al-Budaiwi met with Canadian Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen to discuss improving bilateral cooperation.

According to a statement from the GCC Secretariat, the talks explored opportunities to deepen alliances between the economic bloc and the North American country, including education and renewable energy.

Within the GCC, countries including Saudi Arabia are actively deepening their relations with Canada, as demonstrated by the restoration of diplomatic ties in May 2023 after a five-year hiatus.

The statement from the GCC Secretariat added that the Jan. 6 discussions also addressed pressing regional and international issues, highlighting the significance of dialogue and strategic partnerships in fostering security and global stability.

“At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed the significance of joint cooperation to enhance sustainable development efforts at both regional and global levels, contributing to greater stability in the region and beyond,” the statement said.

At the end of December, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al-Ibrahim held talks with Canadian Ambassador Jean-Philippe Linteau at his department’s headquarters in Riyadh, according to the Saudi Press Agency.  

Economic cooperation was the focus of the meeting as relations between the nations continue to progress.


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.