US-UAE AI project changes direction due to Iranian threat
The United Arab Emirates is altering its plan to build one of the world's largest AI data centers, due to the war with Iran and fears of missile and drone attacks. Instead of one giant campus in Abu Dhabi, the project is expected to include a network of data centers across the country, some underground. The 5-gigawatt project is a US-Emirati initiative involving OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, and SoftBank.
The United Arab Emirates is quietly changing its plan to build one of the world's largest artificial intelligence data centers, due to the war with Iran and fears of missile and drone attacks. According to six sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters, instead of one giant campus in Abu Dhabi covering about 26 square kilometers, the project is expected to include a network of data centers spread across the country. The Emirates are also considering protecting the facilities with air defense systems, electronic jamming measures, and blast-resistant concrete, and building some infrastructure underground. Facilities containing sensitive information, including military data, may be built inside mountains. The project is part of a US-Emirati initiative announced during US President Donald Trump's visit to the Emirates, and is led by Emirati G42 in partnership with OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, and SoftBank. The change comes after Amazon data centers in the UAE and Bahrain were hit in March by attacks attributed to Iran, and in April the Iranian army released a video showing the Stargate UAE site as a potential target. The first phase of the project, with an investment of about $30 billion and a capacity of one gigawatt, is expected to continue, but adjustments may also be made to it.