The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is making significant strides in artificial intelligence (AI), thanks to a collaboration with major US tech companies Nvidia, Cisco, Oracle, and OpenAI. This initiative, known as the ‘UAE Stargate’, involves constructing a substantial AI data center in Abu Dhabi, led by the Emirati tech firm G42.
Initially, Nvidia will contribute its cutting-edge Blackwell GB300 systems to the project. The project’s ambition is to transform a 1-gigawatt compute cluster into a 5-gigawatt AI powerhouse. This endeavor is part of a larger strategy aligned with the US Stargate infrastructure plan, unveiled by US President Donald Trump earlier this year.
Oracle is among the prominent supporters of the UAE Stargate. Its co-founder, Larry Ellison, witnessed the inception of the Stargate initiative in the US. Moreover, the data center will cover a vast 10 square mile area with a projected capacity of 5 gigawatts.
President Trump recently visited the UAE as part of his overseas trip during his second term. During this visit, he was joined by tech leaders like Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Cisco President Jeetu Patel. The project’s initial stage focuses on building a 1-gigawatt compute cluster.
The Stargate project aspires to address the rising demand for AI by constructing a network of data centers across the US. This aims to supply enough AI power to a variety of sectors, from scientific research and healthcare to defense and finance. The initiative, with an estimated budget of $500 billion, plans to expand globally, with Europe and the UK as potential expansion points.
At the project’s core, the aim is to create infrastructure designed specifically for AI workloads. OpenAI leads this initiative, partnering with SoftBank and Oracle. OpenAI is contributing advanced AI models, SoftBank provides funding and strategic guidance, and Oracle focuses on cloud computing.
In addition to tech companies, the project’s success will likely involve numerous energy companies, construction firms, and chipmakers. The expansion is not limited to the US—Stargate aims to partner with countries to build local data center capacities, promoting AI’s growing ecosystem.
