Money leverages BIG computers! Compute is the new oil: 5 GW AI Complex exceeds the combined capacity of major U.S. tech companies—positioning Abu Dhabi as a global AI energy superpower.
Unlike nations reacting to AI disruptions, the UAE aims to design the architecture of the Fourth Industrial Revolution—from silicon to sovereign superclusters.
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The Largest AI Data Complex Outside the U.S. Just Launched in Abu Dhabi
This week, under the presence of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President Donald J. Trump, the UAE unveiled the first phase of the AI Complex in Abu Dhabi with an unmatched capacity of 5 gigawatts (GW) making it the largest AI-focused data complex outside the United States.
Key numbers of the launch:
5 GW Compute: Engineering the Future
• 5 GW = 5,000,000 kilowatts dedicated to artificial intelligence compute
• To put that into perspective: That’s nearly 5x the total AI compute capacity of Google’s entire U.S. data center fleet combined
• Enough to train and deploy multiple frontier LLMs, host sovereign AI infrastructure, and serve entire regions in real time
Global Tech Sovereignty: A U.S. & UAE First
This complex operates under a new bilateral framework:
The U.S. and UAE Partnership to Accelerate Artificial Intelligence.
Key features:
• Operated by G42 in collaboration with leading U.S. cloud and semiconductor firms
• Supports U.S. approved sovereign workloads in AI and cloud
• Will serve the Global South creating a digital bridge from Abu Dhabi to Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia
Strategic Numbers That Matter
UAE National AI Performance Outlook:
• $96 billion – Expected AI contribution to UAE GDP by 2030
• 25% – UAE’s share of AI investments in the Middle East
• 0.13% – UAE’s share of global population
• 0.6%+ – UAE’s targeted share of global AI value
• 4.5x – Influence-to-population ratio among the highest globally
Cloud & Compute Outlook:
• $31.4 billion – Projected MENA cloud computing market by 2030
• 20% CAGR – AI compute demand growth in the Middle East through 2030
• UAE is expected to lead in per capita compute capacity globally
Abu Dhabi = The New AI Command Center
The AI Complex creates:
• A sovereign-grade AI and cloud infrastructure
• A platform for next-generation LLMs, multimodal models, and edge-AI systems
• A trusted AI zone aligned with Western data privacy, ethics, and digital diplomacy frameworks
Like Jebel Ali redefined global shipping lanes this project redefines data lanes.
Diplomacy Meets Compute: The Rise of AI Geo-Strategy
This is AI infrastructure diplomacy in action:
• The UAE is now a critical digital ally for the U.S.
• A hub for compute power redistribution to underserved regions
• A regulatory partner in future AI ethics, safety, and governance
This signals a shift in where AI gets built, where it’s trained, and who controls the infrastructure behind intelligence.
In this era, compute is currency, and data centers are the new ports.
The UAE isn’t reacting to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It’s designing the architecture of it from silicon to superclusters.
Abu Dhabi just placed itself at the center of global AI supply chains. Not as a customer but as a co-architect of the future.
Abu Dhabi is the new capital of Artificial Intelligence.
This week, under the presence of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President Donald J. Trump, the UAE unveiled the first phase of the AI Complex in Abu Dhabi with an unmatched capacity of 5 gigawatts (GW) making it the largest AI-focused data complex outside the United States.
Key numbers of the launch:
5 GW Compute: Engineering the Future
• 5 GW = 5,000,000 kilowatts dedicated to artificial intelligence compute
• To put that into perspective: That’s nearly 5x the total AI compute capacity of Google’s entire U.S. data center fleet combined
• Enough to train and deploy multiple frontier LLMs, host sovereign AI infrastructure, and serve entire regions in real time
Global Tech Sovereignty: A U.S. & UAE First
This complex operates under a new bilateral framework:
The U.S. and UAE Partnership to Accelerate Artificial Intelligence.
Key features:
• Operated by G42 in collaboration with leading U.S. cloud and semiconductor firms
• Supports U.S. approved sovereign workloads in AI and cloud
• Will serve the Global South creating a digital bridge from Abu Dhabi to Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia
Strategic Numbers That Matter
UAE National AI Performance Outlook:
• $96 billion – Expected AI contribution to UAE GDP by 2030
• 25% – UAE’s share of AI investments in the Middle East
• 0.13% – UAE’s share of global population
• 0.6%+ – UAE’s targeted share of global AI value
• 4.5x – Influence-to-population ratio among the highest globally
Cloud & Compute Outlook:
• $31.4 billion – Projected MENA cloud computing market by 2030
• 20% CAGR – AI compute demand growth in the Middle East through 2030
• UAE is expected to lead in per capita compute capacity globally
Abu Dhabi = The New AI Command Center
The AI Complex creates:
• A sovereign-grade AI and cloud infrastructure
• A platform for next-generation LLMs, multimodal models, and edge-AI systems
• A trusted AI zone aligned with Western data privacy, ethics, and digital diplomacy frameworks
Like Jebel Ali redefined global shipping lanes this project redefines data lanes.
Diplomacy Meets Compute: The Rise of AI Geo-Strategy
This is AI infrastructure diplomacy in action:
• The UAE is now a critical digital ally for the U.S.
• A hub for compute power redistribution to underserved regions
• A regulatory partner in future AI ethics, safety, and governance
This signals a shift in where AI gets built, where it’s trained, and who controls the infrastructure behind intelligence.
In this era, compute is currency, and data centers are the new ports.
The UAE isn’t reacting to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It’s designing the architecture of it from silicon to superclusters.
Abu Dhabi just placed itself at the center of global AI supply chains. Not as a customer but as a co-architect of the future.
Abu Dhabi is the new capital of Artificial Intelligence.
+14
Amazing post Mahmood Abdulla!
Always love to read your precise and thoughtful reports thanks Mahmood Abdulla
3 Replies on Barry John Harwood ’s comment
Mahmood Abdulla
what the favor of muslim ??
you know about the philistine and yamen attacks who is the responsibilities also ...?
mostly the arabian only support to Israeli and USA very shamefully to your thoughts....
what the favor of muslim ??
you know about the philistine and yamen attacks who is the responsibilities also ...?
mostly the arabian only support to Israeli and USA very shamefully to your thoughts....
Truly Outstanding
This announcement made me considering moving to the UEA and bringing my experience to the middle eastern world.
Endless opportunities for the new world!
Can’t wait what the region is going to me in a decade.
Endless opportunities for the new world!
Can’t wait what the region is going to me in a decade.
Great
There are already significant GPU overcapacities in data centers, especially in China. Beside looking impressive, they won’t know what to do with it and no one will dare to tell them.
Can you send like 0.003% of that to financially support Gaza population and maybe put a provision in your multi-trillion dollar deals to end the madness happening right in front of eyes fuelled and propelled by your esteemed business partners.
Wake up and work towards eternal success not this petty wordly gains.
Wake up and work towards eternal success not this petty wordly gains.
(edited)
I was in Abu Dhabi last month for AIM Congress and the business activity is out of this world. Communication is very easy, and follow-up is mandatory so business gets done. We would love to expand our digital infrastructure at MyBusiness.com and our partners' and clients' data needs as well. Additionally, we are hoping to open a digital hub in AD also. Thank you Mahmood Abdulla.
