Image: WAM
The UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US President Donald Trump witnessed the launch of the new UAE-US 5GW AI campus in Abu Dhabi, the largest such facility outside the US, as part of a deepening technology partnership between the two countries.
According to a report published by state news agency, WAM, the campus will host US hyperscalers and large enterprises with regional compute resources targeting nearly half the global population.
The facility will provide 5GW of capacity for AI data centres powered by nuclear, solar, and gas sources to reduce carbon emissions. It will also feature a science park dedicated to AI innovation.
G42 to build AI campus
The campus will be built by UAE-based G42 and operated in partnership with several US companies. It follows the launch of the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership, a government-led initiative aimed at expanding cooperation in AI and advanced technologies.
“This campus is a testament to the ongoing collaboration between our countries in artificial intelligence,” said Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC). “It is an expression of the UAE’s commitment to pioneering innovation and fostering global collaboration… delivering transformative benefits for humanity,” he added.
AI campus to offer access to US hyperscalers, approved cloud service firms
The facility will be accessible exclusively to US hyperscalers and approved cloud service providers, with both governments jointly overseeing access and regulation of compute resources.
According to the WAM report, US Secretary of Commerce Howard W Lutnick called the announcement “a historic Middle Eastern partnership on AI” and said it would spur major investments in semiconductors and data centres across both countries. “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 US AI dominance.”
The UAE has taken an early lead in AI development. In 2017, it became the first country to appoint a federal Minister of Artificial Intelligence, and later launched the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, the world’s first graduate-level AI university.
The UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, also launched in 2017, aims to integrate AI into key sectors such as education, healthcare, transport, and energy.
Read: UAE schools to introduce AI curriculum from kindergarten-grade 12
