Saudi-based AI startup Think has raised more than $8 million in pre-seed funding to drive expansion primarily across the GCC.

The pre-seed round was co-led by RAED Ventures and Wa'ed Ventures, two Saudi venture capital firms, the startup said in a statement.

The funding will support team expansion, scale-up manufacturing and product development across Saudi Arabia, the GCC and selected global markets over the next 18 months.

Think, founded by Ahmed AlSharif, intends to maximise GPU utilisation, lower token costs and reduce the overall cost of deploying AI.

The company has strategic partnerships across Saudi Arabia, including HUMAIN, a Public Investment Fund-backed AI ecosystem.

(Editing by Seban Scaria seban.scaria@lseg.com)