The UAE and the U.S. signed an agreement to build the largest AI campus outside the United States in Abu Dhabi. A new 5GW UAE-U.S. AI Campus in Abu Dhabi was unveiled at Qasr Al Watan in the presence of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and U.S. President Donald Trump, who is on a state visit to the UAE.
The new AI campus, the largest outside the U.S., will be home to American hyperscalers and large enterprises that can leverage the capacity for regional ‘compute resources’ with the ability to serve the Global South.
“The unveiling of this campus is a testament to the ongoing collaboration between our countries in artificial intelligence. It is an expression of the UAE’s commitment to pioneering innovation and fostering global collaboration in artificial intelligence, strengthening the UAE’s position as a hub for cutting-edge research and sustainable development, delivering transformative benefits for humanity,” stated H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC).
5GW of capacity for AI data centers
The UAE-U.S. AI campus will include 5GW of capacity for AI data centers in Abu Dhabi, providing a regional platform from which U.S. hyperscalers will be able to offer latency-friendly services to nearly half of the global population living within 3,200 km of the UAE.
Once completed, the facility will leverage nuclear, solar and gas power to minimize carbon emissions and will also house a science park driving advancements in AI innovation.
The campus, which will span 10 square miles within the Emirate, will be built by G42 and operated in partnership with several U.S. companies. The endeavour builds on a new framework by the U.S. and UAE governments, the “U.S.-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership,” to deepen cooperation and collaboration on AI and advanced technologies.
The UAE and U.S. will work together to regulate access to the compute resources, which are reserved for U.S. hyperscalers and approved cloud service providers.
“To put the new 5GW AI campus in Abu Dhabi (UAE) into perspective. It would support up to 2.5 million NVIDIA B200s. That’s bigger than all other major AI infrastructure announcements we’ve seen so far,” stated Rand Corporation analyst Lennart Heim said on X.
UAE, U.S. to safeguard advanced AI technologies
In a statement, the White House said the AI agreement “includes the UAE committing to invest in, build, or finance U.S. data centres that are at least as large and as powerful as those in the UAE.”
“The agreement also contains historic commitments by the UAE to further align their national security regulations with the United States, including strong protections to prevent the diversion of U.S.-origin technology,” the statement added.
In an AI campus announcement, the U.S. commerce department said the UAE is committed to safeguarding advanced AI technologies by implementing stringent measures to prevent diversion and ensure controlled access to technology. The UAE and U.S. will work together to enhance Know-Your-Customer protocols to regulate access to the compute resources, which are reserved for U.S. hyperscalers and approved cloud service providers.
“The agreement launches a historic Middle Eastern partnership on AI between our two nations. It promotes major investment in advanced semiconductors and data centers across the U.S. and the UAE. In the UAE, American companies will operate the data centers and offer American-managed cloud services throughout the region,” stated U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard W. Lutnick.
Lutnick added that the agreement also contains strong security guarantees to prevent diversion of U.S. technology. “By extending the world’s leading American tech stack to an important strategic partner in the region, this agreement is a major milestone in achieving President Trump’s vision for U.S. AI dominance,” he said.
Read| Trump in UAE: $200 billion in new deals announced, AI partnership expanded
UAE and U.S. expand AI partnership
The UAE’s AI campus announcement comes in addition to several AI-related deals signed during Trump’s visit to the nation. During Trump’s visit to the UAE, Qualcomm expanded its global innovation footprint through partnerships with ADIO and e&.
A new Global Engineering Center in Abu Dhabi will focus on AI, data centers and industrial IoT, advancing the UAE’s digital transformation while supporting U.S. research, engineering jobs and demand for American technologies.
Meanwhile, the collaboration with e& accelerates the deployment of advanced connectivity, edge AI, and cloud computing solutions.
Furthermore, Amazon Web Services, e&, and the UAE Cybersecurity Council have launched a Sovereign Cloud Launchpad to accelerate public cloud services adoption in the UAE. The initiative is expected to contribute $181 billion to the UAE’s digital economy by 2033 and includes a new UAE cybersecurity technology Innovation center.
This collaboration expands demand for U.S.–developed cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity technologies, supporting high-skilled jobs in the United States and reinforcing U.S. leadership in secure digital innovation globally.
