G42 Accelerates Construction of Stargate UAE: A New Chapter in AI Infrastructure

From Vision to Velocity

G42, an Abu Dhabi–based AI and cloud-computing company, has confirmed that construction of Stargate UAE — a 1-gigawatt (GW) hyperscale artificial-intelligence infrastructure cluster — is well underway and progressing toward its planned 2026 launch (Gulf Business, 2025; PR Newswire, 2025).

The project forms part of a wider 5-GW UAE–U.S. AI Campus announced in May 2025. It brings together global technology partners including OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, Cisco, and SoftBank Group (SoftBank Group, 2025).

Blueprint to Build: Engineering a Gigawatt of Intelligence

Developed by Khazna Data Centers, a G42 subsidiary, Stargate UAE is designed to provide large-scale computing capacity for next-generation AI applications (Khazna Data Centers, 2025).

G42 has adopted a design-to-build approach, overlapping engineering, procurement, and construction to shorten delivery times. According to company statements at GITEX GLOBAL 2025, civil and structural works are advanced, and deliveries of long-lead equipment have begun (PR Newswire, 2025).

The first 200 megawatts (MW) of capacity are being developed on an accelerated timeline, with commissioning targeted for 2026 (Reuters, 2025a).

Key collaborators have defined operational roles:

• OpenAI and Oracle will operate the cluster.
• NVIDIA provides AI hardware infrastructure.
• Cisco handles networking and security.
• SoftBank Group serves as a strategic partner (SoftBank Group, 2025).

Together, these partnerships establish Stargate UAE as a cornerstone of the country’s goal to expand national AI capabilities (Bloomberg, 2025).

Powering the Infrastructure

The energy supply for Stargate UAE will draw on a mix of nuclear, solar, and natural-gas sources to ensure stable and sustainable power generation (SoftBank Group, 2025; Gulf Business, 2025).

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) announced in May 2025 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy to evaluate deployment of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology, specifically the BWRX-300 model, for energy-intensive industrial applications (ENEC, 2025; GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, 2025).

This collaboration supports the UAE’s strategy to diversify its clean-energy sources and reduce carbon emissions while meeting the growing electricity demand from high-density digital infrastructure.

In addition to nuclear energy, solar power from Abu Dhabi’s renewable portfolio will contribute to the grid, and natural gas will provide supplementary generation capacity (SoftBank Group, 2025).

Timeline and Milestones

The timeline beyond 2026 for the remaining capacity has not yet been publicly confirmed.

Strategic Outlook

Once operational, Stargate UAE will provide high-performance computing and low-latency infrastructure to accelerate research and AI deployment across sectors such as healthcare, energy, finance, and transportation (G42, 2025).

By building large-scale compute infrastructure domestically, the UAE strengthens its data sovereignty and advances its long-term strategy to become a regional AI hub (Wired Italia, 2025).

References

Bloomberg. (2025, October). G42 expands AI infrastructure with Stargate UAE construction progress. Bloomberg Technology. https://www.bloomberg.com

CNBC. (2025, October). Inside G42’s 1-gigawatt AI data cluster and its global partnerships. CNBC Middle East. https://www.cnbc.com

Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC). (2025, May). ENEC signs MoU on small modular reactors (SMRs) for industrial energy applications. https://www.enec.gov.ae

GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy. (2025, May 15). ENEC and GE Vernova Hitachi sign SMR deployment evaluation MoU during World Utilities Congress. https://www.gevernova.com

G42. (2025, October 19). Press release: Stargate UAE construction update at GITEX GLOBAL 2025. G42 Newsroom. https://www.g42.ai

Gulf Business. (2025, October 19). G42 announces major progress on Stargate UAE construction. https://gulfbusiness.com/g42-announces-major-progress-on-stargate-uae/

Gulf News. (2025, October 17). Stargate UAE: First phase of 200 MW to complete by 2026. Gulf News Business. https://gulfnews.com/business/markets/stargate-uae-first-phase-of-200mw-to-complete-by-2026-1.500310364

Khazna Data Centers. (2025). Stargate UAE project overview. https://www.khazna.ae

Observer Research Foundation Middle East (ORF Middle East). (2025, August). Powering the AI–nuclear nexus: Strategic integration of nuclear energy for AI infrastructure in Gulf nations. https://www.orfme.org

PR Newswire. (2025, October 10). G42 provides update on construction of Stargate UAE AI infrastructure cluster. https://www.prnewswire.com

Reuters. (2025a, October 14). First 200 MW from UAE’s Stargate AI campus to come online next year. Reuters Middle East. https://www.reuters.com

Reuters. (2025b, May 22). ‘Stargate UAE’ AI datacenter to begin operation in 2026. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com

Reuters. (2025c, June 6). US-UAE multi-billion-dollar AI data campus deal far from finalised. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com

SoftBank Group. (2025, May 22). SoftBank joins UAE’s G42 and global partners to develop Stargate UAE AI infrastructure project. https://group.softbank/en/news

Wired Italia. (2025, May 23). Cosa fa G42, la società degli Emirati Arabi che vuole entrare nell’AI globale. https://www.wired.it

G42, #StargateUAE, #AIInfrastructure, #UAEAI, #KhaznaDataCenters, #ArtificialIntelligence, #HyperscaleDataCenters, #AICampus, #OpenAI, #NVIDIA, #Oracle, #Cisco, #SoftBank, #AbuDhabi, #UAEInnovation, #DigitalTransformation, #AIEconomy, #AICompute, #CloudComputing, #AIDatacenter, #SmartInfrastructure, #UAE2030, #NationalStrategy, #DataSovereignty, #SustainableEnergy, #CleanEnergy, #NuclearEnergy, #SMR, #SmallModularReactor, #ENEC, #GEHitachi, #BWRX300, #SolarEnergy, #NaturalGas, #CarbonCapture, #EnergyTransition, #NetZero2050, #TechnologyPartnership, #InnovationHub, #GITEX2025, #AIinGulf, #MENAtech, #AIInfrastructureUAE, #G42OpenAIPartnership, #UAEArtificialIntelligenceCampus, #StargateAICluster, #1GigawattDataCenter, #UAEAIInvestments, #AIEnergyIntegration, #AbuDhabiTechHub, #UAEDataCenterExpansion, #SustainableAIPower, #UAEAILeadership, #AIComputeSovereignty, #GITEXGLOBAL, #G42News, #SoftBankNews, #UAEAIInitiatives, #AbuDhabiTechnology, #MiddleEastTech, #AILeadership, #GlobalTechPartnerships