The United States and the United Arab Emirates will build the first overseas “Stargate” artificial intelligence hub, OpenAI said on Thursday, deepening technology ties between Washington and Abu Dhabi.
OpenAI revealed that President Donald Trump has enlisted the company and the $500 billion Stargate Project to launch “Stargate UAE,” an international version of the A.I. infrastructure platform.
The project is the opening deal under “OpenAI for Countries,” a new program to help interested governments create sovereign computing power in coordination with the U.S. government.
“By establishing the world’s first Stargate outside of the U.S. in the UAE, we’re transforming a bold vision into reality,” OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“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,” he continued.
Stargate UAE was announced one week after Mr. Trump visited the Gulf country. During that trip, the White House backed plans for a 5-gigawatt data and engineering center that will “focus on AI, data centers, and industrial [internet of things].”
U.S. and UAE commit dual investments for Stargate AI hub
Under the new arrangement, the two sides will make dual investments. One creates a 1-gigawatt Stargate UAE cluster in Abu Dhabi, with 200 megawatts scheduled to go live in 2026 through partners G42, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, and SoftBank.
The other matches every dollar spent in the Emirates with the same amount going into the United States.
OpenAI expects the UAE to steer $1.4 trillion into American projects, which the company says will support job creation, economic growth, and U.S. technological leadership.
“It’s a step toward ensuring some of this era’s most important breakthroughs—safer medicines, personalized learning, and modernized energy—can emerge from more places and benefit the world,” Altman said.
In January, Mr. Trump unveiled the massive Stargate infrastructure plan, requiring G42, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, and SoftBank to build data centers across the United States to advance A.I. development. During his four-day Middle East tour, Trump reportedly secured more than $200 million in commercial deals between the U.S. and UAE, the White House said.
As the president wrapped up his travels, he told reporters it was “an honor to be here” and that the “four days have been really amazing… But it shows you where a country can go.”
“This is […] the first partnership under OpenAI for Countries, our new global initiative to help interested governments build sovereign AI capability in coordination with the U.S. government,” writes OpenAI.
“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 says the Abu Dhabi facility could deliver computing power to users within a 2,000-mile radius.
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