A plan to build a campus and data centre for artificial intelligence in the UAE marks one of the world's largest computing infrastructure projects.
Abu Dhabi AI company G42 has teamed up with technology giants OpenAI, Oracle and Nvidia, alongside SoftBank Group, to create Stargate UAE.
It will be the largest AI data centre, forming part of a system of OpenAI-linked data centres around the world and marking a further vote of confidence in the UAE's capabilities to host large-scale tech critical to today's economic, societal and business needs.
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said in a post on X: "Great to work with the UAE on our first international Stargate! Appreciate the governments working together to make this happen. Sheikh Tahnoon has been a great supporter of OpenAI, a true believer in AGI, and a dear personal friend."
Here, we try to quantify what the big numbers mean and how Stargate UAE compares to its peers.
What is data centre capacity?
Data centre capacity is the total physical space and power needed to handle the storage and processing of data, typically measured in kilowatts or megawatts.
Data centres are grouped into three sizes: small, measuring up to about 1,000 square feet (93 square metres), medium, around 10,000 sqft to 50,000 sqft, and large, which are more than 50,000 sqft, according to Data Centre World.
At the launch of Stargate UAE were President Sheikh Mohamed; Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence; Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser; Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of the UAE’s Executive Affairs Authority; Peng Xiao, G42 chief executive; Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia; Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI; SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son; Jeetu Patel, Cisco's president and chief product officer; Mike Sicilia, Oracle executive vice president; and Marty Edelman, group general counsel of G42. Photo: G42
In general, the bigger the data centre, the bigger its capacity. On a monthly basis, they are estimated to consume as much as 36,000kWh, 2,000MW and 10MW, respectively, it added.
The capacity of data centres is not exclusive to the power needed to handle data – it also includes other resources needed to run the facility, including cooling systems, its size, the types of servers used and, most importantly, how many graphics processing units, or GPUs, are in it. Increasingly, more sustainable and eco-friendly systems are being used by the industry to make them more efficient.
What can 1MW and 1GW do?
A single MW can support 1,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs for training or, in inference mode, tens of millions of daily ChatGPT‑style queries.
"Think of 1MW as the backbone for a mid‑sized national‑language model serving an entire country," Mohammed Soliman, director of the strategic technologies and cybersecurity programme at the Washington-based Middle East Institute think tank, told The National.
Meanwhile, 1GW of continuous power is enough to run roughly one million top‑end Nvidia GPUs once cooling and power‑conversion overheads are factored in.
In other words, that is roughly the annual electricity used by a city the size of San Francisco or Washington.
How much do data centres cost to build?
Depending on the size, anywhere from millions to billions of dollars.
The components needed to be taken into consideration are land and construction costs; equipment, most importantly how many servers will be hosted; infrastructure, including cooling systems and power (should be lower if green energy options are used); security measures, both physically and digitally; and manpower.
Also, data centre builders need to consider potential increases in operating costs as time goes on and the location where the data centre will be built. The most expensive markets for data centre construction are Tokyo, Singapore and Zurich, according to a study by UK professional services firm Turner & Townsend.
China Telecom Data Centre, the world's biggest before the unveiling of Stargate UAE, has a capacity of "only" 150MW and was built at a cost of $3 billion. Investments into 1GW Stargate UAE – built in co-operation with Cisco and Japan's SoftBank Group and part of a planned larger 5GW campus – will reportedly be in the $20 billion range, according to OpenAI.
How does Stargate UAE stack against other big data centres?
It actually blows everyone else out of the water – as shown by the aforementioned size of China Telecom Data Centre.
Stargate UAE even outsizes the data centres of Google and Microsoft, both in terms of size and cost: they have a capacity of 100MW and 50MW, respectively, and cost a reported $5.5 billion and $3 billion, according to data compiled by California-based technology services firm Brightlio.
Even Apple's data centre in Arizona only has a capacity of 50MW and cost $2 billion.
Once the 5GW campus is complete, it could host about 2.5 million GPUs while gulping as much power as several mid‑sized US cities combined, Mr Soliman added.
The UAE has at least 17 data centres, according to data compiled by industry tracker DataCentres.com, and has plans to boost this figure.
Abu Dhabi's Khazna Data Centres, one of the industry's largest operators in the Middle East, has a capacity of nearly 450MW and has plans to build a 100MW campus in Ajman, which would be its largest in the UAE. Its chief executive, Hassan Al Naqbi, had told The National that it expects UAE data centre capacity will leap to 850MW by 2029.
Last month, a hyperscaler data centre worth Dh2 billion ($545 million) to be built in Dubai was announced by telecom provider du and Microsoft. Even Awqaf Abu Dhabi, or the Endowment and Minors’ Fund Authority, is also open to investing in data centres as part of its push into defensive sectors to help shield its assets from economic shocks, its director general recently told The National.
That's aside from enormous investments poured in by Microsoft, Oracle, Google, Alibaba and other big-name players into the UAE's data centre market.
"The UAE lies at the crossroads of three high‑growth regions: South Asia, East Africa and the Middle East. It sits comfortably within the latency envelope that hyperscalers target," Mr Soliman said.
In addition, the Stargate UAE campus "should provide the steady demand that makes new clean‑energy projects bankable", he added.
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)
Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
Priority access to new homes from participating developers
Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
Flexible payment plans from developers
Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
