Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — U.S. technology leaders Nvidia, Cisco, and OpenAI recently announced their participation in the ambitious UAE Stargate artificial intelligence data center, a project designed to bolster AI infrastructure in the region. This significant development comes shortly after President Donald Trump revealed an associated initiative in the United States.
Sources indicate that Nvidia will provide cutting-edge hardware, including its latest Blackwell GB300 systems, for the UAE site. This data center aligns with the U.S. Stargate project unveiled by Trump following his inauguration in January, though it remains unclear whether Oracle, which has connections to the U.S. initiative, will also be involved in the UAE counterpart.
The Emirati firm G42 is tasked with constructing the sprawling data center, which will expand over 10 square miles and feature a capacity of 5 gigawatts. Trump’s visit to the UAE marks the first international trip of his second term, where he also made a stop in Saudi Arabia. High-profile executives from notable tech firms, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and Cisco’s Jeetu Patel, accompanied the president during this visit.
The initial phase of the UAE Stargate will include a 1-gigawatt computing cluster, designed to handle increased demand for advanced AI capabilities. In February, OpenAI disclosed its plans for the U.S. Stargate project, considering data centers across 16 states, including California, Texas, and New York. Construction for one of these data centers is already underway in Abilene, Texas, with completion expected by mid-2026.
During a separate event in Saudi Arabia, Huang revealed that Nvidia plans to sell 18,000 of its Blackwell chips to local company Humain. These chips will support data centers in Saudi Arabia with a total capacity of 500 megawatts, as announced at the recent Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh. AMD has also committed to providing chips for the same project, with Humain reportedly investing $10 billion into its development.
The advancements in AI infrastructure, facilitated by projects like UAE Stargate, underscore the growing demand for data processing and machine learning capabilities globally. As countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia position themselves as leaders in technology, collaborations with major U.S. companies reflect a significant shift in the global tech landscape.
While OpenAI declined to provide additional comments on its involvement, the eagerness of these tech giants to expand into international markets demonstrates their commitment to fostering AI innovation on a wide scale. As this collaboration unfolds, it may set new benchmarks for AI development and data management worldwide.