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AI Chip Startup Groq Secures $1.5 Billion Investment From Saudi Arabia

Groq, a U.S.-based AI semiconductor startup, has secured a $1.5 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to expand its advanced AI chip delivery in the country. The startup, founded by a former Alphabet AI chip engineer, specializes in AI inference chips that optimize speed and execute commands for pre-trained models.

Groq already has a partnership with Aramco Digital, the tech arm of oil giant Aramco, through which they developed a key AI hub in the region in December. The investment will fund the expansion of Groq’s data center in Dammam, with the startup having obtained the necessary licenses to export its chips despite U.S. export controls.

The announcement was made at Saudi Arabia’s LEAP 2025 event, where the country also secured $14.9 billion in AI investments. One of the technologies supported by the Dammam Center is Allam, an AI language model developed by the Saudi government that operates in both Arabic and English.

In August, Groq raised $640 million in a funding round led by Cisco, Samsung, and BlackRock, bringing its valuation to $2.8 billion.

Nearly 80% Of Cyprus’ Foreign Investment Came From Outside EU In 2025

Cyprus had the highest share of foreign direct investment (FDI) originating outside the European Union among 14 EU member states reporting data for 2025. According to Eurostat, non-EU economies accounted for 79.4% of the island’s inward FDI, highlighting its distinct position among the reporting countries.

The figures contrast with most other EU economies, where investment from within the bloc remains the main source of foreign capital.

Cyprus Leads In Non-EU Investment Share

Eurostat measures inward FDI positions by the ultimate investing economy, identifying the economy where the investment ultimately originates rather than only the country through which it is channelled. This distinction is important when investments involve subsidiaries or intermediary holding companies.

In nine of the 14 reporting countries, most foreign investment came from within the EU. The Czech Republic recorded the highest intra-EU share, at 75.1%, followed by Romania at 73.3% and Estonia at 64.8%.

Cyprus was among five countries where non-EU economies accounted for more than half of inward FDI. Spain, Sweden, Greece and Denmark also recorded shares above 50%, ranging from 51% to 55.1%.

US Is The Largest Source Of FDI Across Reporting Countries

Across the 14 countries collectively, the United States was the largest ultimate source of foreign direct investment, accounting for 15.4% of the total.

Germany ranked second at 11.5%, followed by France at 9.4%, the United Kingdom at 9.3% and Switzerland at 5.8%.

These figures reflect the combined investment positions of the reporting countries and do not identify Cyprus’s leading individual investment sources. However, the country-level data underline the island’s strong reliance on capital originating outside the European Union.

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