A new 5GW UAE–US AI campus was unveiled on May 15 at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of  Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and President Donald Trump.

The campus is set to become the largest AI facility outside the US, and will serve as a base for American technology companies to deliver regional computing capabilities, particularly for countries in the Global South.

Located in Abu Dhabi, the AI campus will feature 5GW of capacity for data centres, aimed at enabling US hyperscale technology providers to deliver low-latency services to populations within a 3,200-kilometre radius, encompassing almost half of the global population.

Once completed, the facility will utilise a mix of nuclear, solar, and gas power sources to reduce carbon emissions.

It will also include a science park focused on research and development in AI.

The 10-square-mile campus will be developed by UAE-based technology group G42, in collaboration with several US firms.

It is part of a wider initiative under the newly launched “US–UAE AI Acceleration Partnership,” aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the fields of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.

The project includes measures to control access to computing resources, which will be restricted to US hyperscalers and cloud service providers that meet certain regulatory standards.

The UAE government has stated it will implement controls to prevent the diversion of sensitive technologies, and will work with US authorities to strengthen Know-Your-Customer (KYC) protocols.

US Secretary of Commerce Howard W. Lutnick said:

“Today’s agreement launches an historic Middle Eastern partnership on AI between our two nations. It promotes major investment in advanced semiconductors and data centres across the US and the UAE. In the UAE, American companies will operate the data centres and offer American-managed cloud services throughout the region. The agreement also contains strong security guarantees to prevent diversion of US technology.”

The UAE has been an early adopter of AI technologies, having appointed the world’s first Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence in 2017 and established the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in 2019.

The country also launched its national AI strategy that same year, with the aim of integrating AI into key sectors such as education, healthcare, transport, and energy.

Featured image credit: G42