The United States and the United Arab Emirates are set to collaborate on constructing a large-scale data center complex in Abu Dhabi, aimed at enhancing artificial intelligence capabilities with an impressive capacity of 5 gigawatts—sufficient to power a city. This significant partnership was unveiled during former President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the UAE.
According to the U.S. Commerce Department, this venture will represent the largest data center deployment outside the U.S., beginning with a 1-gigawatt AI data center and expanding to ultimately cover a 10 square mile area. The project is expected to bolster the presence of American AI and cloud companies in the Middle East, thereby enabling better service to markets in the Global South.
Although specific companies involved in the initiative were not disclosed, Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang was observed at one of Trump’s meetings in the UAE, although the company refrained from commenting on the matter.
This agreement reflects Trump’s ongoing efforts to promote AI investment, which is seen as vital for maintaining the U.S.’s competitive edge as a global superpower. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick highlighted the agreement as a significant step towards achieving Trump’s vision for U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence by enhancing technological collaboration with the UAE, which has aspirations to become a frontrunner in AI by 2031.
The UAE is aware of the necessity to diversify its economy, especially focusing on technology and AI, as it lays the groundwork for a sustainable future beyond oil dependency. In tandem with this, the White House announced that the UAE is also committed to establishing or financing data centers in the U.S. that will be comparably sized and powerful to those being built in the UAE.
This partnership not only signifies a strong collaboration between two nations but also indicates an optimistic shift towards a technology-driven economy in the region, which may lead to more job opportunities and innovative advancements in AI.