During his recent visit to the UAE, President Donald Trump announced a groundbreaking 5GW AI campus in Abu Dhabi, the largest facility of its kind outside the United States. This marks a bold new chapter in global tech collaboration and a significant milestone in the growing tech alliance between the two nations.
Trump and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan oversaw the agreement. The two countries will jointly regulate access to the campus’s computing power, which will be reserved exclusively for American tech giants and approved cloud service providers.
G42 to lead construction, U.S. companies to operate
The 10-square-mile AI campus will be built by UAE-based tech company G42 and operated in partnership with several U.S. firms. This comes under the broader framework of the U.S.-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership, aimed at strengthening collaboration in AI and emerging technologies. It will feature:
- 5GW of power capacity for AI data centers, enough to support millions of advanced AI chips.
- A science park dedicated to AI research and development.
- A mix of nuclear, solar, and gas energy to reduce carbon emissions.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi and chairman of the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC), called the project “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,” he added, as reported by WAM.
Access to the facility will be strictly controlled. The compute resources will be available only to U.S. hyperscalers and cloud service providers approved by both governments. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard W. Lutnick called it “a historic Middle Eastern partnership on AI.”
“American companies will operate the data centres and offer American-managed cloud services throughout the region,” Lutnick said. “This agreement is a major milestone in achieving President Trump’s vision for U.S. AI dominance.”
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Opening doors to advanced AI chips
Previously, the UAE’s access to top-tier AI chips was restricted due to U.S. concerns about potential tech leakage to China. With tighter security assurances and U.S.-managed operations, those restrictions are easing.
The deal unlocks access to cutting-edge AI chips for the UAE, something the country has long sought. Sources told Reuters that the UAE could import up to 500,000 of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips annually starting in 2025. Though Nvidia has not commented on the agreement, the scale of the project suggests significant potential for the UAE’s AI ambitions.
The agreement signals a strategic shift for the UAE, which has been navigating its ties with the U.S. and China, its largest trading partner. The UAE has committed to aligning its national security policies with U.S. standards to prevent diverting sensitive technology.