Safanad targets US$1bn in U.S. digital infrastructure deployments
Safanad has announced plans to speed up the growth of its U.S. digital infrastructure business, Element Critical. The firm has launched a new data centre platform backed by US$1 billion from major U.S. institutional investors.
The platform builds on Safanad’s work in scaling Element Critical as an enterprise data centre operator. It starts with the purchase of two facilities in Houston and Austin, Texas. Safanad will use the platform to support further expansion across the United States, driven by demand from AI inference, advanced workloads, and power limits in key markets.
Over the past ten years, Safanad has developed Element Critical into a data centre platform serving clients in technology, finance, healthcare, energy, and other critical sectors. The new long-term investment strengthens Safanad’s ability to buy, build, and expand sites while growing its enterprise colocation portfolio.
“We are proud to advance this next phase of Element Critical with partners who share our conviction in digital infrastructure and the evolution driven by AI,” said Kamal Bahamdan, Founder and CEO of Safanad. “Over the past decade, we have built Element Critical into a scaled, resilient platform, and this next phase meaningfully expands our capabilities in one of the world’s most critical infrastructure sectors. As digital infrastructure becomes an increasingly strategic priority in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf, Safanad is also uniquely positioned to connect capital, operating expertise, and long-term partnerships across markets—enabling our investors and partners to participate in a sector that is central to the next phase of growth of the global digital economy.”
Safanad has also appointed Jeff Ferry as Partner and Head of Digital Infrastructure. Ferry brings more than 30 years of experience in data centre and infrastructure investment, including almost 20 years at Goldman Sachs. He will work with Safanad and Element Critical to support platform growth.
These moves reflect Safanad’s focus on digital infrastructure as a core investment area and its ability to build and operate large-scale platforms in a fast-changing sector.
Alongside digital infrastructure, Safanad continues to grow its education and healthcare platforms. These sectors form part of the firm’s social infrastructure strategy in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC. Safanad applies long-term partnerships, operational expertise, and disciplined investment to support regional development goals.
Guggenheim Securities and Goldman Sachs acted as financial advisers to Safanad. King & Spalding served as legal adviser. ABG Advisory acted as strategic adviser. Kirkland & Ellis advised on the Houston and Austin acquisitions. BofA Securities and Citizens Bank acted as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners, while Huntington National Bank served as Joint Lead Arranger for the transaction financing.
