Taranis Capital Limited, an investment firm regulated by the DFSA and based in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Emaar Executive Company (EEC). Together, the firms plan to develop, construct, and operate a portfolio of next-generation, carrier-neutral data centre facilities across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The collaboration unites Taranis Capital’s fund management and investor network with EEC’s vertically integrated engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) capabilities, alongside its design and operations expertise. This combination creates a fully integrated platform aimed at delivering world-class digital infrastructure within the Kingdom.
Addressing the Kingdom’s infrastructure gap
Saudi Arabia’s data centre market is currently experiencing unprecedented demand, primarily driven by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and various digital transformation initiatives under Vision 2030. However, despite substantial investments from global hyperscalers, the Kingdom currently lacks sufficient carrier-neutral, multi-tenant facilities capable of providing the connectivity ecosystems that enterprises, content providers, and cloud platforms require.
To bridge this gap, the new partnership will focus on developing strategically located data centre campuses. Key features of these planned facilities include:
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A line of sight to a 40–50 MW capacity per site.
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Integration of the latest cooling technologies.
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Flexible designs specifically capable of supporting evolving AI workloads, which includes NVIDIA’s next-generation GPU architectures.
Leadership perspectives
Nicholas Bingham, founding partner and CEO of Taranis Capital, highlighted the strong market demand driving the project.
“This partnership brings together exactly the right combination of capabilities to deliver on the enormous data centre opportunity in Saudi Arabia,” Bingham stated. “EEC has an unmatched track record of building and operating hyperscaler-grade facilities in the Kingdom, and with SIPA’s support, we are positioned to move rapidly from planning to execution.”
Bingham added that investors are currently viewing digital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia as one of the most compelling investment themes globally.
Milan Radia, partner of data centre strategy at Taranis Capital, pointed out the need for a specific ecosystem model within the region.
“What is missing in the Saudi market is the connectivity ecosystem model that made companies like Equinix, Telecity, and Interxion so successful in Europe,” Radia explained. “No one in the region has yet built a true community-of-interest environment.”
Karthik Ramaswamy, COO of Emaar Executive Company, emphasized the operational strength behind the joint venture.
“EEC brings over a decade of experience delivering complex technology infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia, with our own certified workforce on the ground,” Ramaswamy said. “This partnership will allow us to scale our capabilities and contribute to the Kingdom’s ambition of becoming a global hub for digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence.”
Strategic support from SIPA
The Saudi Investment Promotion Authority (SIPA) has demonstrated a proactive commitment to the partnership, playing a central role in its progress. SIPA will actively facilitate the necessary regulatory and licensing processes for the data centres to ensure a seamless and efficient investor journey.
According to the press release, SIPA’s involvement reinforces its position as a key driver in advancing Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to become a global hub for digital infrastructure. The initiative strongly aligns with Vision 2030, particularly in its goals to accelerate digital capacity, foster innovation, support economic diversification, and achieve technological leadership across the Kingdom.
