Siemens Energy: Saudi Arabia's Advantage in AI Center Power Supply

Christian Bruch, President and CEO of Siemens Energy, stated that Saudi Arabia is capable of providing power to AI data centers faster than the United States. In an interview with Asharq Bloomberg in Dammam, he noted that the kingdom's development of its power sector and clear plans to increase capacity give it an advantage in attracting investments in computing at competitive costs.

According to him, the speed of energy provision has become a decisive factor: delaying the launch of a data center by six months makes a big difference. When asked if Saudi Arabia can do it faster than America, Bruch said, "Yes, I believe so." He called the kingdom a model of strategic infrastructure planning: goals up to 2030 are translated into specific electricity needs, which simplifies the work of suppliers. The US, he said, "will not always remain the only destination." When asked about negotiations with Humain, Bruch did not disclose agreements but expects new announcements about more powerful computing capabilities in the kingdom.

Siemens Energy is investing about $150 million in expanding the center in Dammam: adding 60,000 square meters, creating a large power transformer plant, and 130–150 jobs. The plant will produce transformers for high-voltage networks, including Saudi Arabia's 380-kilovolt network, and will become one of the company's main enterprises in this field worldwide. The team in the kingdom numbers about a thousand people, with the goal of performing about 80% of the work with local personnel. Investments continue a series of contracts: in June 2024, about $1.5 billion for technologies for the "Taiba 2" and "Qassim 2" stations with 25 years of service, each with a target capacity of about 2000 MW. In March 2025, $1.6 billion for the "Ramah 2" and "Nairiyah 2" stations with a total capacity of 3.6 gigawatts. The company's turbine sales extend to 2032. Bruch criticized Europe's indecision on offshore wind energy, stating that it led to a gap of three to four years. In his opinion, continuity of planning and commitment to energy projects are conditions for the operation of plants, and this is something Saudi Arabia does well.