OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has announced a landmark collaboration with the United Arab Emirates to build the world’s largest AI data center in Abu Dhabi.
This marks the first international deployment of OpenAI’s AI infrastructure platform, Stargate.
As part of the initiative, a one-gigawatt AI computing cluster will be established, with 200 megawatts expected to go operational by 2026.
OpenAI said the Stargate Project represents a major infrastructure push, with plans to invest $500 billion over four years to expand AI capabilities in the United States. However, the Abu Dhabi deployment signals a broader ambition. Stargate aims to establish “frontier-scale compute capacity around the world in service of safe, secure, and broadly beneficial AGI.”
The UAE project is being developed in partnership with G42, Oracle, NVIDIA, Cisco, and SoftBank. It aligns with the UAE’s earlier commitment this year to invest $1.4 trillion in the United States—a move designed to create jobs, accelerate economic growth, and support American technological leadership.
OpenAI noted that Stargate UAE will be capable of providing AI computing infrastructure within a 2,000-mile radius, potentially serving up to half of the global population.
“Under the partnership, the UAE will become the first country in the world to enable ChatGPT nationwide—giving people across the country the ability to access OpenAI's technology,” the company said.
The announcement follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent Middle East visit, during which several major AI agreements were finalised, including the Stargate project for Abu Dhabi.
OpenAI expressed interest in pursuing similar ventures globally. “We’ve already been engaging with other countries around the world that are interested in building their own Stargates,” the company added.
Last year, OpenAI also backed AI missions and application development efforts in India, highlighting its ongoing commitment to international collaboration in artificial intelligence.