Hajra Naz
A massive tech hub is being planned in Abu Dhabi. The site will need 5 gigawatts of power, equal to five nuclear power plants. It will cover about 10 square miles. That’s bigger than the country of Monaco.
It is anticipated that the project will rank among the largest of its kind worldwide. A major U.S. tech company is likely to be the main tenant. The site is being developed with G42, a large technology group based in Abu Dhabi.
This project is part of a larger effort called Stargate. It was announced earlier this year. The goal is to build huge data centers in different parts of the world. Strong computer chips will be used in these centers. This initiative also involves Oracle and SoftBank.
A similar site is already being built in Abilene, Texas. That one will use 1.2 gigawatts of power. The new Abu Dhabi center will be more than four times bigger.
This isn’t the first time the U.S. and the UAE have worked together on major tech projects. Their partnership has been growing over the years. But it has also caused concern among some U.S. lawmakers.
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The U.S. company began working with G42 in 2023. The goal was to help bring advanced technology to the Middle East. That same year, the company’s CEO visited Abu Dhabi. During a talk, he praised the UAE for supporting tech long before it became a trend.
As Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security advisor and the brother of the country’s current ruler, chairs G42, U.S. officials are worried.
Some US lawmakers are worried about G42’s business relations in the past. They claim the company had connections with Chinese companies, specifically Huawei and a prominent genetics firm in Beijing. Some of these firms are on the US blacklist due to concerns regarding security.
G42’s CEO addressed the criticisms in early 2024. He stated that the company’s investments in China had been sold off. He also stated that G42 did not have any Chinese offices or operations.
That was shortly followed by news from Microsoft that changed the entire scenario. The tech company allocated $1.5 billion to invest in G42. Brad Smith, the current president of Microsoft, also became a member of G42’s board of directors. This indicates G42 is shifting its focus and direction with change, which Microsoft intends to support and get involved in the region.
