In the presence of UAE President, Global Tech Alliance launches Stargate UAE
23 May 2025 00:38
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)In the presence of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and in a historic step forward for artificial intelligence and international collaboration, G42, OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, SoftBank Group and Cisco on Thursday announced their partnership to build Stargate UAE. Stargate UAE is a next-generation AI infrastructure cluster that will run in the newly established 5-gigawatt UAE–US AI Campus in Abu Dhabi.The launch ceremony was attended by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence; and H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Board Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Council; along with a number of high-ranking officials.Stargate UAE, a 1-gigawatt compute cluster, will be built by G42 and operated by OpenAI and Oracle. The collaboration will also include Cisco, offering its zero-trust security and AI-ready connectivity, and SoftBank Group, as well as NVIDIA which will supply the latest NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GB300 systems. The facility will provide best-in-class infrastructure, nation-scale compute, and low latency inferencing to deliver AI that will meet the demands of an increasingly intelligent world. The first 200-megawatt AI cluster is expected to go live in 2026.Stargate UAE creates a foundation for scalable, trusted AI. It will accelerate scientific discovery and drive innovation across industries ranging from healthcare and energy to finance and transportation, fueling future economic growth and national development.The UAE–US AI Campus, which will house Stargate UAE, was announced last week in Abu Dhabi. The endeavour builds on a new framework by the US and UAE governments, the 'US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership,' to deepen cooperation and collaboration on AI and advanced technologies developing safe, secure, and responsible AI that delivers long-term benefits for humanity.Under this framework, UAE entities will also expand their investments in digital infrastructure in the US, in projects such as Stargate US, in line with the recently announced 'America First Investment Policy.'Spanning 10 square miles, the full UAE–US AI infrastructure campus is the largest such deployment outside of the US. It will provide 5 gigawatts of AI data centre capacity and regional compute resources. The facility will be powered by nuclear, solar, and natural gas to minimise carbon emissions and it will also house a science park driving innovation, talent development, and sustainable compute infrastructure.Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G42, said, 'The launch of Stargate UAE is a significant step in the UAE–US AI partnership. As a founding partner, we're proud to work alongside institutions that share our belief in responsible innovation and meaningful global progress. This initiative is about building a bridge - rooted in trust and ambition - that helps bring the benefits of AI to economies, societies, and people around the world.'Sam Altman, Co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, said, 'By establishing the world's first Stargate outside of the US in the UAE, we're transforming a bold vision into reality. This is the first major milestone in our OpenAI for Countries initiative—our effort to work with allies and partners to build AI infrastructure around the world. It's a step toward ensuring some of this era's most important breakthroughs—safer medicines, personalised learning, and modernised energy—can emerge from more places and benefit the world.'Larry Ellison, CTO and Chairman of Oracle, said, 'Stargate pairs Oracle's AI-optimised cloud with nation-scale sovereign infrastructure. This first-in-the-world platform will enable every UAE government agency and commercial institution to connect their data to the world's most advanced AI models.This landmark deployment sets a new standard for digital sovereignty and demonstrates how nation states can harness the power of the most important technology in the history of humankind.'Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, said, 'AI is the most transformative force of our time. With Stargate UAE, we are building the AI infrastructure to power the country's bold vision – to empower its people, grow its economy, and shape its future.'Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group, said, 'When we unveiled Stargate in the US with OpenAI and Oracle, we set out to build an engine for the next information revolution. Now, the UAE becomes the first nation beyond America to embrace this sovereign AI platform, proving the global nature of this vision. SoftBank is proud to support the UAE's leap forward.Bold investments, trusted partnerships, and national ambition can create a more connected, more joyful and more empowered world.'Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco, said, 'Cisco is proud to join Stargate UAE to advance groundbreaking AI innovation in the UAE and around the world. By embedding our secure AI-optimised networking fabric for this international deployment, we're building smart, secure and energy-efficient networks that will turn intelligence into impact at global scale.'
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