Latest news with #Saudi-backed
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Musk's xAI in Talks With Saudi's Humain on Data Center Deal
(Bloomberg) -- Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is in discussions to lease data center capacity in Saudi Arabia, according to people familiar with the matter, part of an effort to expand its infrastructure in regions offering cheap energy and political goodwill. The Dutch Intersection Is Coming to Save Your Life Advocates Fear US Agents Are Using 'Wellness Checks' on Children as a Prelude to Arrests LA Homelessness Drops for Second Year Manhattan, Chicago Murder Rates Drop in 2025, Officials Say The company is in early talks with two potential partners: Humain, a Saudi-backed artificial intelligence firm offering xAI several gigawatts of capacity, and another company building a smaller but more immediately available 200-megawatt facility, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private talks. The Humain proposal, while massive in ambition, remains distant. While the AI company is backed by Saudi's Public Investment Fund, the firm has yet to break ground on much of the infrastructure it's pledged to build. Any arrangement with xAI would offer Musk computing resources years down the road instead of being a near-term solution. By contrast, the other potential partner is already working on a 200-megawatt facility, one of the people said, making it a more realistic short-term option for xAI. In both cases, xAI would not own the facilities but instead rent capacity — essentially leasing space in the data centers to power its compute-intensive AI models. Representatives for Elon Musk, xAI and Humain didn't respond to requests for comment. AI companies like xAI, OpenAI and Meta Platforms Inc. are building or leasing massive data centers to train and run the AI models that power chatbots, like xAI's Grok. Those data centers are expensive to build and operate and use immense amounts of power. If Humain succeeds in developing a multi-gigawatt data center, it would likely be one of the largest in the world. A one gigawatt facility, for example, consumes the same amount of energy used to power nearly 900,000 homes annually, according to Carbon Collective. 'It makes a lot of sense. As power demand goes way up, you're going to need to see some balance between the cost of running these data centers with the cost of powering them,' said Kathryn Huff, who served as a top administrator at the Energy Department's nuclear office under US President Joe Biden and is now at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 'I immediately think of countries that might build new nuclear as options for that,' she said on Bloomberg Television Wednesday in response to the news of xAI's talks. Inside Humain, a technical team led by Jeff Thomas is responsible for building the data center infrastructure, while commercial negotiations are being handled by Saeed Al-Dobas. The project may tie back to Saudi Arabia's earlier investment in xAI, which was part of a broader effort by Saudi royal Alwaleed bin Talal to deepen ties between the kingdom and Musk's ventures. The potential Saudi move fits a broader trend for Musk, who is exploring infrastructure for xAI where power is cheap and capital is abundant, one of the people said. The exploration comes amid heightened geopolitical and commercial tensions in the US, where Musk has clashed with lawmakers and regulators despite spending much of this year closely advising President Donald Trump. Musk has already built a massive data center facility in Memphis, which houses a supercomputer called Colossus, and has publicly teased plans for a second facility nearby. Musk and xAI recently closed a $10 billion funding round split equally between equity and debt, and Musk posted on his X social platform last week that the startup has 'plenty of capital.' But the mechanics of how and where it deploys that capital are still taking shape. Internally, xAI founding team member and former Tesla Inc. employee Ross Nordeen is driving these infrastructure negotiations, functioning as xAI's key dealmaker and strategist for location and scale, according to people familiar with the company. While former Tesla and X executive Andree Jacobson is helping lead the technical side at xAI, Nordeen is widely seen as the 'Omead' figure inside xAI — a reference to former Tesla employee and Musk confidant Omead Afshar. The xAI team is also considering the UAE for data center deals has been in contact with Abu Dhabi-based AI firm G42, one of the people said. G42 declined to comment. The company has weighed data center deals in some countries in Africa as well that have access to cheaper energy and operating costs, two of the people said. Still, Saudi Arabia's abundance of sovereign wealth and access to specialized chips make it the most attractive option, two of the people said. --With assistance from Omar El Chmouri. (Adds nuclear expert's comments in seventh paragraph) Forget DOGE. Musk Is Suddenly All In on AI How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All How Hims Became the King of Knockoff Weight-Loss Drugs Thailand's Changing Cannabis Rules Leave Farmers in a Tough Spot The New Third Rail in Silicon Valley: Investing in Chinese AI ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Musk's xAI in talks with Saudi firm Humain on data center deal
Synopsis The company is in early talks with two potential partners: Humain, a Saudi-backed artificial intelligence firm offering xAI several gigawatts of capacity, and another company building a smaller but more immediately available 200-megawatt facility.
Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
LIV Golf merger plan sees Phil Mickelson get unanimous response after 'failed experiment'
Phil Mickelson's ambitious idea to expand the LIV Golf tour has been mocked by golf followers as the US star prepares to compete in The Open Championship at Portrush Phil Mickelson's grand plan for the LIV Golf has triggered a unanimous, and damning, response. The golf legend has taken to social media to suggest major changes to the Saudi-backed tour, which he joined at its inception three years ago. It would double the size of the tour and its schedule, creating a 120-player field with shotgun starts in the morning and afternoon. The tour would significantly expand beyond its current setup of 54 players, 13 teams and 14 global events. Mickelson posted on X: "Here's a random Monday morning 'hypothetical' question. What if LIV went to a 35-event, full 120-person field, dual shotgun start (morning and afternoon), and the current LIV events were the 'elevated' events within the schedule. Where would those additional players come from, and what would happen to the PGA Tour then?" However, the ideas didn't go down well with many golf fans, especially those loyal to the PGA Tour. Some even pleaded for Mickelson to return, having been one of its most high-profile defectors in 2022. One replied: "Phil, LIV is a failed experiment, but you all banked it. Take the personal W and move on." With talks between the PGA Tour and LIV's backers over a potential merger still deadlocked, one follower called for unity, posting: "What if the tours got back together and had 20 total events at great venues with great else was trying to qualify for those 20 events that include majors." Mickelson described that concept as "awesome". However, it was one of the few exchanges where he escaped criticism. Former PGA Tour player turned commentator Colt Knost responded sarcastically, saying: "That's a lot of concerts!" He was alluding to the fact that many LIV events are accompanied by concerts by performers such as Jason Derulo, Sublime and Riley Green. While LIV has attempted to brand itself as golf's 'rebellious disruptor', its detractors continue to argue that the format is more of a gimmick than a genuine challenge to the PGA Tour's established reputation. One traditionalist pointed out: "Golf for hundreds of years has been played as a 72-hole singles competition. "There are a few team events, such as the Ryder Cup, that are fine on an occasional basis. Traditionalists will never agree to 54-hole LIV golf." With PGA viewership on the rise and LIV's figures comparatively low, one follower added: "No one wants to see shotgun starts, let alone dual shotgun starts with more players that no one knows." Taking a break from LIV duty, Mickelson is part of the field at the Open Championship at Portrush. He faces an early start on Thursday, teeing off at 7.19am alongside South African Daniel van Tonder and Australia's Ryan Peake. On Friday, he will be out at the later time of 12.09pm.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Kanthapuram's efforts spark hope for nurse
Kozhikode: The emergency meeting held in Yemen on Monday after Sunni leader Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musaliyar's last-minute effort to save Keralite nurse Nimisha Priya has given a glimmer of hope. Sources close to Kanthapuram said that efforts are on to reach a consensus within Mahdi's family and postpone the punishment until then. Priya, who is on death row at the central prison in Yemen's capital Sana'a, is scheduled to be executed on July 16. She is on death row for the 2017 murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi. Kanthapuram, who holds the title of Grand Mufti of India, reached out to prominent Yemeni Islamic scholar Sheikh Habib Omar seeking his help to urge Mahdi's family to grant pardon to Priya by accepting 'blood money'. Omar's representative Habib Abdurrahman Ali Mashoor along with representatives of the Yemeni government, the supreme judge of Jinayat court and tribal leaders held discussions in Mahdi's native place Damar in northern Yemen. The talks are expected to continue on Tuesday. Sources said their contacts, who took part in the talks, conveyed that Monday's discussions were promising and they expect a positive decision during follow-up talks on Tuesday. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Get ₹2Cr life cover@ ₹700 p.m. ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan Get Quote Undo They are hopeful that Omar, who is influential in Yemen, would be able to persuade Mahdi's family and all tribal leaders. Omar, who is a respected Sufi scholar in Yemen, had visited Kanthapuram's Markazu Saquafathi Sunniyya to attend a function. Sources said a dialogue with the victim's family became possible and the presence of various stakeholders, including tribal leaders, is seen as a positive step in the highly-sensitive Mahdi murder case among northern Yemen's tribal groups. Meanwhile office-bearers of Nimisha Priya International Action Council thanked Kanthapuram for his intervention. Nimisha, a native of Kollengode in Palakkad, was accused of murdering Talal Abdo Mahdi with whom she had started a health clinic in Sana'a. She allegedly chopped his body and dumped the parts in a water tank. Mahdi had reportedly tortured her and illegally seized her passport which allegedly led to the murder. A trial court sentenced her to death in 2018 and an appeals court later upheld the sentence. The lack of formal diplomatic ties with Yemen's Houthi militants posed an issue in securing her release. While Houthi militias control Sana'a, the rest of the country is governed by the internationally recognized Saudi-backed govt and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council. The Yemeni embassy in Delhi represents the Saudi-backed govt and has no official ties with Houthis.
Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
German Court Rejects Yemenis' Claim Over US Strikes
Germany's highest court on Tuesday threw out a case brought by two Yemenis seeking to sue Berlin over the role of the US Ramstein airbase in a 2012 drone attack, ending a years-long legal saga. Plaintiffs Ahmed and Khalid bin Ali Jaber first brought their case to court in 2014 after losing members of their family in the strike on the village of Khashamir. The case has since been through several German courts. But the Constitutional Court on Tuesday ultimately ruled that Berlin is not required to take action against such attacks, which were not judged to be in breach of international law. Washington has for years launched drone strikes targeting suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen, an impoverished country that has been torn by fierce fighting between its beleaguered Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed rebels. The two Yemeni men, supported by the Berlin-based European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), had argued that Germany was partly responsible for the attack because the strike was aided by signals relayed via the Ramstein base in western Germany. "Without the data that flows through Ramstein, the US cannot fly its combat drones in Yemen," the group said. The ECCHR's Andreas Schueller argued that "the German government must put an end to the use of this base -- otherwise the government is making itself complicit in the deaths of innocent civilians". The court found that Germany "does have a general duty to protect fundamental human rights and the core norms of international humanitarian law, even in cases involving foreign countries". However, in order for this duty to be binding, there must be "a serious risk of systematic violation of applicable international law". "Measured against these standards, the constitutional complaint is unfounded," the court said. The ECCHR said the ruling had "failed to send a strong signal" and meant that "instead, individual legal protection remains a theoretical possibility without practical consequences". However, Schueller said the verdict "leaves the door open for future cases". "Violations of international law can be subject to judicial review, even if the court imposes high hurdles. This is an important statement by the Constitutional Court in these times," he said. According to the ECCHR, the two Yemeni men were having dinner ahead of the wedding of a male family member in 2012 when they heard the buzz of a drone and then the boom of missile attacks that claimed multiple lives. Their case against Germany was initially thrown out, before the higher administrative court in Muenster ruled in their favour in 2019. However, the government appealed and a higher court overturned the decision in 2020, arguing that German diplomatic efforts were enough to ensure Washington was adhering to international law. In a statement shared by the ECCHR, the two men called the ruling "dangerous and disturbing". "(It) suggests countries that provide assistance to the US assassination programme bear no responsibility when civilians are killed. Our hearts are broken, and our faith in international law is shaken," they said. The German government welcomed the ruling, which it said showed that Berlin had "a wide margin of discretion in assessing whether the actions of third states comply with international law". "According to the ruling, the government has no fundamental duty to protect foreigners abroad who are affected by military action by third states if, in the government's assessment, these attacks are within the bounds of what is permissible under international law," the defence and foreign ministries said in a statement. Washington has for years launched drone strikes targeting suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen AFP Two Yemeni men have lost their case against the German government over the role of the Ramstein airbase in US drone attacks on Yemen AFP
