UAE-US Global AI Campus (Abu Dhabi)

Status: Under Construction (Phase 1 Groundbreaking)   |   Location: Khalifa Economic Zones (KEZAD), Abu Dhabi, UAE

Project Overview

The UAE-US Global AI Campus is not merely a data center; it is a "Superfactory" designed to redefine the global landscape of Artificial Intelligence. Officially launched into its construction phase today, December 23, 2025, in the Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD), the campus is the physical manifestation of a landmark bilateral agreement between the United Arab Emirates and the United States. With a projected final capacity of 5 Gigawatts (GW), the site aims to provide the massive computational power required to train the next generation of Large Language Models (LLMs) and autonomous systems.

Powering the Future with Zero-Emission Energy
One of the most distinctive features of this project is its energy strategy. Unlike Western hubs that often struggle with grid constraints, the Abu Dhabi campus has secured a direct, massive-scale power allocation from the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. By utilizing constant, carbon-free baseload power from nuclear energy, supplemented by the Al Dhafra Solar PV facility, the campus is expected to be the world’s most sustainable hyperscale site. This "Nuclear-to-Compute" model allows the campus to maintain an industry-leading PUE of 1.12, even in the harsh desert climate.

Technological Sophistication: The Blackwell Standard
The facility is being built from the ground up to support the NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GB300 architecture. Each data hall is engineered for ultra-high-density workloads, with rack power ratings exceeding 120kW. To manage the heat generated by these AI clusters, the project utilizes a hybrid cooling strategy: Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling (DLC) for the GPU cores and high-efficiency chilled water loops for the peripheral infrastructure. This eliminates the need for massive evaporative cooling, which is critical for water conservation in the Middle East.

Geopolitical and Economic Impact
Strategically, the campus serves as a "Digital Bridge." It allows US hyperscalers like Microsoft and OpenAI to deploy advanced hardware under a strict "Intergovernmental Assurance Agreement (IGAA)," ensuring that cutting-edge chips are protected while providing the Global South with access to high-performance computing. Economically, the $25 billion Phase 1 investment is expected to create over 10,000 specialized jobs in AI engineering, thermal management, and cybersecurity, cementing Abu Dhabi's status as the "AI Capital of the East."

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