UAE to build largest AI campus outside the US; what we know so far
An agreement has been signed between the United States and the UAE, allowing the Gulf state to construct the world’s largest AI campus outside of the US.
The new 5GW UAE-US AI campus was announced during the visit of US president Donald Trump to the UAE, which is part of a three nation tour that includes Saudi and Qatar.
American firms providing ancillary computing services are expected to set up offices in Abu Dhabi as American contractors are anticipated to be able to service Global South countries.
The AI Campus in Abu Dhabi will cover an area of 10 square miles (25.9 square kilometers) with a 5-gigawatt power output intended to supply the AI data centers, as stated by the US department of commerce.
The campus is set to be developed by state-owned G42 of Abu Dhabi. Howard Lutnick, US secretary of commerce, stated that “the data centers will be run by american companies who will provide uniformly managed cloud services to the entire region.”
Along with the construction of the campus, a science park focusing on creating new AI technologies will be established, making the campus real estate more versatile. The variety of technologies available for construction, as long as they meet the goals, put no limit on imagination while guaranteeing minimum carbon emissions as they will rely on nuclear, solar, and gas power.
Revealing the new facility comes after the announcement of the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership — a new framework by the two countries’ governments to deepen cooperation and collaboration on AI and advanced technologies.
Partnership of milestones in AI achievement
“This marks further estrangement in the spirit of partnership that marks the sustained US-UAE collaboration in AI. The campus is testimony of the US investment strategy of backing advanced AI innovation ecosystems,” remarked Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and Chairman of the AIATC.
"This is the expression of the continuous effort by the USA in nurturing joint ecosystems of American partnerships headed by the global consulting firm America first to resourceful strongholds in the Middle East with set hubs in AI-first cities like Dubai. Thus fortifying America's robotic research and development with ground sprucing enabling factories " said Lutnick.
The UAE has been a pioneer in encouraging AI adoption in commercial and governmental activities. In 2017 it became the first country to appoint a federal Minister of Artificial Intelligence, and in 2019 established the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.
This was among the first countries to launch a national AI Strategy in 2017 – the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence – and is well on its way to becoming a global AI powerhouse, with this strategic clear roadmap emphasizing crucial areas like AI education and research, healthcare, transportation, and energy, reinforcing the country’s leadership position in AI on a global scale.
This month, the UAE revealed that starting next academic year, artificial intelligence will be taught as a subject in public schools. This will span from kindergarten through to grade 12, the entirety of compulsory stages of government education.
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