United Arab Emirates (UAE) state-backed company G42 and its partners plan to build the first phase of an AI data centre in the UAE, dubbed “Stargate UAE”.

The project is a joint effort involving G42, OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, SoftBank Group, and Cisco.

Stargate UAE will serve as a next-generation compute cluster and will operate within the newly established 5GW UAE–US AI Campus located in Abu Dhabi.

G42 is leading the construction of the 1GW cluster, with US companies OpenAI and Oracle set to manage its operations.

Oracle CTO and chairman Larry Ellison said: “Stargate pairs Oracle’s AI-optimised cloud with nation-scale sovereign infrastructure. This first-in-the-world platform will enable every UAE government agency and commercial institution to connect their data to the world’s most advanced AI models.

“This landmark deployment sets a new standard for digital sovereignty and demonstrates how nation states can harness the power of the most important technology in the history of humankind.”

The collaboration includes several major technology firms. Cisco will provide zero-trust security measures and AI-ready network capabilities while NVIDIA will supply its Grace Blackwell GB300 systems, supporting the high-performance compute needs of the facility.

SoftBank Group is also participating in the project.

Initial operations will begin with a 200MW AI cluster expected to go live in 2026.

The infrastructure is designed to support high-scale computing and low-latency AI processing, intended to meet growing global demand.

This project is part of the broader "US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership," an initiative aimed at fostering deeper cooperation on AI and advanced technologies.

The partnership seeks to develop AI that is safe, secure, and beneficial for humanity in the long term.

As part of this partnership, UAE-based organisations will also expand their digital infrastructure investments in the US, including projects such as Stargate US, aligned with the “America First Investment Policy”.

Covering an area of ten square miles, the UAE–US AI Campus is the largest AI infrastructure project of its kind outside the US.

It will offer 5GW of AI data centre capacity, powered by a mix of nuclear, solar, and natural gas sources to reduce carbon emissions.

The campus will also feature a science park focused on innovation, workforce development, and sustainable computing technologies.

OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman said: “By establishing the world’s first Stargate outside of the US in the UAE, we’re transforming a bold vision into reality.