Saudi Arabia is moving forward with plans to establish a national framework for autonomous systems, starting with a major push into self-driving trucks. The initiative, driven by a long-term strategic collaboration between HUMAIN and Applied Intuition, targets the creation of what could become the world’s largest autonomous trucking network by 2030.
Strategic Collaboration for Physical AI Deployment
The partnership combines HUMAIN’s sovereign AI infrastructure, developed within the Kingdom, with Applied Intuition’s integrated physical AI platform. This collaboration aims to shift AI applications from data centers to real-world machines and systems, marking a significant step in the deployment of physical AI across various sectors.
Focus on Autonomous Trucking First
The initial phase of the collaboration centers on launching autonomous trucking services, a high-impact application for the transportation and logistics sector. The companies plan to deploy thousands of autonomous trucks along Saudi Arabia’s key logistics corridors, laying the groundwork for a unified national logistics network.
Applied Intuition will provide its full-stack physical AI platform, designed to scale up to one billion moving machines globally. The company’s Self-Driving System (SDS), along with its vehicle operating system and supporting vehicle intelligence solutions, will form the technical foundation for the partnership with HUMAIN. The SDS is already in use in Level 4 autonomous trucks operating on roads in the United States, Europe, and Japan.
Leadership Perspectives on the Initiative
Tariq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN, highlighted that autonomous transport will reshape the economics of moving goods and people. Operating thousands of autonomous trucks around the clock could significantly transform the speed, cost, and capacity of the logistics network. He added that this collaboration offers Saudi Arabia an opportunity to set a new global standard for autonomous freight and strengthen the region’s position in deploying these technologies at scale.
Qasar Younis, co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition, described physical AI as the new frontier for intelligent infrastructure. He noted that the Kingdom’s ambition to deploy these technologies widely aligns with his company’s vision of bringing intelligence to one billion machines worldwide.
Expanding Beyond Transportation
The partnership is not limited to the transport sector. The goal is to build a scalable model for autonomous operations in multiple industries, including mining, agriculture, construction, manufacturing, ports, and autonomous taxi services, in addition to logistics.
Saudi Arabia’s geographic characteristics and its network of major freight corridors, combined with ongoing investments in logistics infrastructure, provide a suitable environment for expanding the use of autonomous trucks. The technology is expected to improve fleet operational efficiency, increase capacity, reduce downtime, and potentially enhance road safety while helping address labor shortages in the commercial transport sector.
As part of the collaboration, Applied Intuition is also building a local team of specialized technical talent and has opened an office in Riyadh to support the launch, operation, and scaling of autonomous truck fleets.