G42, a UAE-based technology holding group will soon build a new 5GW UAE-US AI Campus in Abu Dhabi. Plans for the project were unveiled at Qasr Al Watan in the presence of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and US President Donald Trump, who is on a state visit to the UAE.
According to an official press release, the new AI campus, the largest outside the US, will be home to US hyperscalers and large enterprises that can leverage the capacity for regional ‘compute resources’ with the ability to serve the Global South. It further said that, once completed, the UAE-US AI campus will leverage nuclear, solar, and gas power to minimize carbon emissions and will also house a science park driving advancements in AI innovation.
The campus will be built by G42 and operated in partnership with several US companies. The endeavour builds on a new framework by the two countries’ governments – the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership – to deepen cooperation and collaboration on AI and advanced technologies. The UAE and US will work together to regulate access to the compute resources, which are reserved for US hyperscalers and approved cloud service providers.
In a post on LinkedIn, G42 said, “We’re proud to mark a defining moment in global AI collaboration.” It added, “Born under the new US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership, and to be developed within a framework of shared, rigorous security protocols, this initiative reinforces our commitment to building the Intelligence Grid that powers responsible, inclusive AI for the future of humanity.”
H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC), said, “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.”
US Secretary of Commerce Howard W Lutnick said, “The announcement of the campus launches a historic Middle Eastern partnership on AI between our two nations. It promotes major investment in advanced semiconductors and data centers across the US and the UAE. In the UAE, American companies will operate the data centers and offer American-managed cloud services throughout the region.”
The UAE has a history of encouraging AI adoption in commercial and governmental activities. In 2017 it became the first country to appoint a federal Minister of Artificial Intelligence, and in 2019 established the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. The country was also one of the first to launch a national AI strategy in 2017 – the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence – and is on track to become a global AI hub. This ambitious roadmap prioritizes transformative AI integration across critical sectors, including education, healthcare, transportation, and energy, cementing the UAE’s role as a pioneer in the global AI landscape.