How Abu Dhabi is Shaping Up as the AI Capital of the World

Picture Credit: The Independent

In a groundbreaking announcement, a coalition of major tech players including OpenAI, Nvidia, Oracle, SoftBank, Cisco, and UAE-based G42 have unveiled plans to build Stargate UAE, a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence infrastructure cluster in Abu Dhabi. The ambitious project marks the first international expansion of OpenAI’s AI infrastructure platform, Stargate, originally launched in the United States earlier this year with the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

Slated to go live in 2026, the initial phase of Stargate UAE will be a 200-megawatt AI cluster, set within a massive 5-gigawatt data center complex being constructed in the UAE capital. Once complete, the complex will span 10 square miles, equivalent to the size of a major city, and is designed to serve up to half of the world’s population within a 2,000-mile radius.

“This is a step toward ensuring some of this era’s most important breakthroughs – safer medicines, personalized learning and modernized energy – can emerge from more places and benefit the world,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, in a statement.

The UAE project, developed in close coordination with the US government, symbolizes a new level of international tech cooperation. G42 will oversee the construction, while OpenAI and Oracle will operate the facility, and Nvidia will power it with its industry-leading AI chips.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang highlighted the project as a key enabler of the UAE’s bold vision for digital transformation: “This will power the country’s bold vision – to empower its people, grow its economy and shape its future.”

With an investment plan of up to $500 billion, Stargate UAE represents not only a massive technological leap but also a strategic geopolitical move, cementing the UAE’s position as a global AI hub. The project reflects a shift toward decentralizing AI innovation, ensuring that key advancements in AI will be developed and deployed beyond the traditional centers of Silicon Valley.