Saudi Arabia's ACES partners with Submer to develop AI-ready data centres under new MoU

Saudi digital infrastructure firm ACES has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Submer, a full-stack AI infrastructure provider, to jointly develop high-density, AI-ready data centre capacity across the kingdom.

Local execution meets global cooling expertise in Riyadh-backed digital push

The agreement pairs ACES's local delivery capabilities and investment strength with Submer's engineering and technology, with the two companies set to pursue projects serving AI and high-performance computing workloads as Saudi Arabia advances its Vision 2030 digital agenda.

Under the deal, each party takes on a distinct role. Submer brings engineering and technology that span the entire project lifecycle, while ACES provides on-the-ground execution, infrastructure services and capital.

The stated aim is to carry customers from initial planning through deployment and into long-term operation without the need to assemble multiple vendors.

What the agreement covers

The memorandum spans a broad range of activities.

Advisory and consultancy services for facility planning fall within its scope, alongside the design and build of both greenfield sites and retrofits of existing facilities.

IT integration work is included, covering compute, networking and monitoring systems.

Thermal and power systems constitute another core element, with specific mention of advanced liquid and immersion cooling technologies.

Beyond service provision, the agreement also leaves open the possibility of co-investment in Saudi data centre capacity, enabling the two firms to hold a financial stake in the infrastructure they deliver rather than limiting their involvement to construction and operation.

Rising rack densities strain conventional designs

The context for the partnership is a Saudi market in which rack densities driven by AI systems are reshaping what data centre facilities must deliver in terms of power, cooling, facility design and IT integration. Designs that served earlier generations of computing workloads are increasingly inadequate for dense AI hardware.

Khalid Aljamed, Submer's General Manager for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa, described the situation bluntly. "The kingdom's AI ambitions are moving faster than the infrastructure models supporting them," he said, noting that rack densities are pushing conventional design to its limits and that customers are frequently left coordinating separate parties for engineering, construction, integration and financing.

Working with ACES, he added, would allow the companies to remove much of that coordination overhead and deliver facilities engineered for dense AI workloads from the outset.

ACES points to market presence and investment strength

Dr. Akram Aburas, Group CEO of ACES, said the agreement combines precisely the elements that building AI infrastructure in the country requires. "Submer offers deep engineering and technology across the project lifecycle; ACES offers proven execution on the ground, market presence and investment strength," he stated.

In his view, that combination positions the partnership to contribute AI-ready capacity while supporting the continued growth of Saudi Arabia's wider digital infrastructure ecosystem.

Broader implications for the kingdom's digital build-out

The MoU aligns with Vision 2030, the kingdom's national programme for developing its digital and AI capabilities.

As AI and high-performance computing workloads expand in the region, so does demand for facilities that can accommodate higher rack densities, a requirement that in turn calls for advanced cooling approaches such as liquid and immersion cooling in place of conventional air-based systems.

Because the agreement covers the full project lifecycle, from advisory and facility planning through design, build, IT integration, thermal and power systems, and potentially long-term investment, it is structured to address the fragmentation Aljamed identified, in which customers must separately manage engineering, construction, integration and financing parties.

The two companies are now positioned to jointly deliver data centre capacity purpose-built for AI workloads in the kingdom, at a moment when the requirements of those workloads are outpacing traditional infrastructure models.