Saudi Arabia begins construction of 480 MW government data centre

Saudi Arabia has broken ground on the Hexagon Data Center in Riyadh, described as the world’s largest government-owned facility by megawatt capacity.

The data centre will have a planned capacity of 480 megawatts and span more than 2.8 million square metres.

State media said the project will be operated by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority.

The facility is intended to support the kingdom’s expanding e-government platforms and digital public services.

Officials said the site is designed to deliver maximum availability and resilience for critical government systems.

We are building an integrated digital ecosystem.

Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi said.

He said the project will strengthen national competitiveness and support domestic expertise in artificial intelligence.

Authorities also expect the data centre to attract international technology investment.

The initiative forms part of Saudi Vision 2030’s drive to diversify the economy beyond oil.

The government has positioned digital infrastructure as a pillar of its long-term development strategy.

Officials said the data centre will play a key role in advancing advanced technologies across public services.