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.
2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors.
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
How to apply for a drone permit
Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
Submit their request
What are the regulations?
Fly it within visual line of sight
Never over populated areas
Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30 Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7 Third Test, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 12-16 First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
August 20 Second ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 24 Third ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 27 Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31 Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3 T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023 More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
