G42 to build 5GW AI data centre campus in UAE for US hyperscalers

Details: John Tanner; Category: Data Centres & Networks; 19 May 2025; 14328 views

UAE-based tech group G42 will lead a consortium of US companies to build a new 5GW AI data centre campus in Abu Dhabi as part of an agreement by the US and UAE governments to build and invest in AI infrastructure in the UAE and globally.

According to an official statement from the US Commerce Department on Thursday, the UAE-US AI campus is intended to provide a regional platform for US hyperscalers to offer low-latency services to nearly half of the global population living within 3,200 km of the UAE.

Once completed, the facility will leverage nuclear, solar, and gas power to minimize carbon emissions. The campus will also house a science park intended to drive advancements in AI innovation.

The campus, spanning 10 square miles, will be built by G42 and operated in partnership with several US companies, which have not yet been named. No financial details were disclosed on the cost of the project, and no timeline has been given for its completion.

That said, the Commerce department said ground has already been broken on the first phase of an AI data centre on the campus site with a designed IT load capacity of 1GW. The statement also said the completed 5GW campus will be the largest AI-dedicated facility outside of the US.

According to a report from Bloomberg, ChatGPT developer OpenAI is expected to be one of the primary anchor tenants of the new data centre. A separate report from CNBC said Nvidia, Cisco and Oracle would also be supporting the project. None of the companies have publicly confirmed those reports as we went to press.

The project – which is being developed under “US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership” with the goal of deepening cooperation and collaboration on AI and other advanced technologies – was unveiled by UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and US president Donald Trump during the latter’s state visit to the UAE last week.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy ruler of the Abu Dhabi emirate and chairman of the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC) said the agreement with the US “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.”

The Abu Dhabi government aims to become the world’s first fully automated AI-native government by 2027 via the Abu Dhabi Government Digital Strategy 2025-2027, which is backed by a US$3.54 billion investment in digital infrastructure.

To that end, two months ago, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Government Enablement announced an agreement with Microsoft and Core42 (a G42 company specialising in sovereign cloud, AI infrastructure and digital services) to create a unified, high-performance sovereign cloud computing environment capable of processing more than 11 million daily digital interactions between Abu Dhabi government entities, citizens, residents and businesses.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration sees the UAE AI deal mainly in terms of asserting US dominance in global AI development, said US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

“In the UAE, American companies will operate the data centres and offer American-managed cloud services throughout the region. The agreement also contains strong security guarantees to prevent diversion of US technology,” he said in a statement. “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 US AI dominance.”