A new AI campus, a collaborative effort between the United Arab Emirates and the United States, was unveiled in Abu Dhabi at Qasr Al Watan. The event was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and Donald J. Trump, 47th President of the United States. This facility is set to be the largest AI campus outside of the US.
The UAE-US AI Campus will offer 5GW of capacity for AI data centers in Abu Dhabi. It aims to provide services to nearly half of the global population within a 3,200 km radius. The campus will utilize nuclear, solar, and gas power to reduce carbon emissions and will feature a science park focused on AI innovation.
Spanning 10 square miles within the Emirate, the project will be constructed by G42 with operations managed alongside several US companies. This initiative is part of a new framework called the “US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership,” designed to enhance cooperation in AI and advanced technologies.
The UAE plans to implement strict measures to control access to advanced AI technologies. Both countries will collaborate on improving Know-Your-Customer protocols for regulating access to compute resources reserved for US hyperscalers and approved cloud service providers.
His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan remarked: “Today’s agreement is a testament to the ongoing collaboration between our countries in artificial intelligence. It is an expression of the UAE’s commitment to pioneering innovation and fostering global collaboration in artificial intelligence.”
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard W. Lutnick commented: “Today’s agreement launches an historic middle eastern partnership on AI between our two nations... By extending the world’s leading American tech stack to an important strategic partner in the region, this agreement is a major milestone in achieving President Trump’s vision for U.S. AI dominance.”
The UAE has been proactive in adopting AI across various sectors since appointing its first federal Minister of Artificial Intelligence in 2017 and establishing Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in 2019. The national strategy focuses on integrating transformative AI into critical sectors like education, healthcare, transportation, and energy.
