The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to build the largest artificial intelligence campus outside the United States in Abu Dhabi. The project is part of a series of AI-related agreements signed during President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East.
The campus will cover an area of 26 square kilometers and have a capacity of 5 gigawatts, intended to power large-scale AI data centers.
The UAE and the US agreement marks a strategic shift in Washington’s AI policy. Whereas the Biden administration imposed restrictions on exporting advanced chips to countries with close ties to China, such as the UAE, Trump has opted for a more relaxed approach. In exchange, the UAE has promised to bring its national technology and security regulations more aligned with US standards. Measures will be taken to prevent sensitive technology from indirectly ending up in China.
Data centers under US management
An important part of the deal is that US companies will manage the data centers and provide cloud services in the region. The campus will be built by the Abu Dhabi state-owned company G42, which has previously invested in US AI companies such as OpenAI and xAI. Under US pressure, G42 has also started phasing out Chinese hardware and investments in its infrastructure.
According to sources, the UAE will have access to up to 500,000 of Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips annually starting in 2025. The presence of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during the visit to Abu Dhabi underscored the strategic importance of the deal for US chipmakers. Other major players, including Qualcomm and Amazon Web Services, are also involved in related regional projects, such as AI engineering centers and cybersecurity initiatives.
Nevertheless, there are concerns about the agreement. According to The Guardian, critics fear that the greater US technological presence in the Gulf region also carries risks, especially given the continuing influence of Chinese tech giants such as Huawei and Alibaba Cloud in the UAE. Some concerns opening new routes for the export of advanced chips increases the risk of export rules being circumvented.
Nevertheless, many analysts view the agreement as a geopolitical and economic victory for both countries. The UAE will gain access to leading AI technology and strengthen its position as a tech hub in the Middle East, while US companies will be able to further expand their influence and market share in the region.