UAE-US to launch AI cluster with 5GW data centre in Abu Dhabi
The AI tech cluster is included in a new UAE-US technology framework
#UAE #USA #innovation - The United Arab Emirates and the United States will establish a regional artificial intelligence technology cluster in Abu Dhabi, together with a 5 Gigawatt (GW) capacity data centre, building out short-term 1 GW capacity during phase one. The new AI hub is planned to be the largest outside of the US and will deliver sovereign, AI-grade compute at scale, supporting regional innovation and serving nearly half the world’s population. The cluster will also be home to US hyperscalers and large enterprises that can leverage the capacity for regional compute. To be built by G42 and operated in partnership with several US companies, the new campus will span 10 square miles.
The news was shared by the US Department of Commerce following the conclusion of meetings between US President Donald Trump, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other stakeholders including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
SO WHAT? - Plans for the huge AI technology cluster falls under a comprehensive US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership framework agreed today by the two countries, aiming to bolster cooperation around critical technologies and ensure the protection of such technologies based on a set of joint commitments. The new agreement also reportedly allows the UAE to import 500,000 advanced Nvidia AI chips per annum, granting G42 20% of the quota. The partnership aims facilitate deeper technology cooperation between the US and the UAE, with the Emirates commiting to meeting robust US security standards and other efforts to responsibly deploy AI infrastructure, both in the UAE and globally.
According to the official US Department of Commerce statement: “As part of the UAE investment program in digital infrastructure in the US, the UAE and the US governments will work together to make more efficient the process of inward investments into the United States by UAE Investment Funds.”
Here are some key points about the UAE-US initiative:
The UAE and the USA have agreed a comprehensive government-to-government framework designed to deepen collaboration on AI and advanced technologies, now called the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership,
As part of the partnership framework, the two countries have agreed to build an ambitious 5GW UAE-US AI Campus which will be the largest AI data centre deployment outside the United States. The AI campus will deliver sovereign, AI-grade compute at scale, supporting regional innovation and serving nearly half the world’s population.
The announcement was made in the presence of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US President Donald Trump at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi.
UAE's national AI champion G42 will lead the construction and operation of the facility in partnership with several US companies.
The massive AI hub development will span 10 square miles within Abu Dhabi Emirate and utilize a combination of nuclear, solar, and gas power to minimise environmental impact.
The strategic location of the AI campus will enable US hyperscalers to provide low-latency services to nearly half of the global population living within 3,200 km (2,000 miles) of the UAE.
Both nations have committed to implementing stringent security measures to safeguard advanced AI technologies, including enhanced Know-Your-Customer protocols to regulate compute resource access.
The UAE and the US governments also agreed to establish a working group to implement, monitor and assess progress on the partnership within 30 days of the agreement.
The UAE has demonstrated consistent commitment to AI advancement since appointing the world's first federal Minister of Artificial Intelligence in 2017 and establishing the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in 2019.
- more to come -