OpenAI has revealed a major new development in its Stargate project with plans for an extensive data center in Abu Dhabi. The OpenAI, Stargate UAE facility is set to become a significant resource, delivering 1GW of data center power to the Middle East region.
Construction partners on this next-phase infrastructure include G42, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, and SoftBank, according to the company’s recent announcement. The initial stage anticipates a robust 200MW of capacity to be operational by 2026.
Stargate UAE and AI Expansion
OpenAI believes this center will serve a broad geographic area, offering advanced AI compute resources within 2,000 miles of its location. This marks the launch of the “OpenAI for Countries” initiative, a global program designed to help governments develop their own AI sovereignty in close coordination with authorities in the United States.
As part of this partnership, the United Arab Emirates will be the first nation globally to offer ChatGPT access to its entire population. Citizens and residents across the UAE are expected to benefit soon from direct use of OpenAI-powered technology.
The news surfaces just days after another ambitious plan was disclosed by Elon Musk, whose company xAI plans to build a similar scale “gigawatt” AI training facility. With OpenAI, Stargate UAE‘s latest expansion, the race to develop cutting-edge AI infrastructure on a global scale clearly continues to intensify.
