On the 22nd (local time), OpenAI announced it will support the establishment of a large-scale data center in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
OpenAI announced that it has signed a partnership with the artificial intelligence (AI) corporation G42, which is supported by UAE sovereign wealth funds, to build a 5 gigawatt (GW) data center cluster in Abu Dhabi. Once completed, this facility is expected to cover approximately 10 square miles (about 26 square kilometers), with power demand equivalent to the generating capacity of five nuclear power plants.
With this partnership, OpenAI will first expand its Stargate project to build AI infrastructure overseas. In January, OpenAI announced the Stargate project in collaboration with SoftBank, Oracle, and others, planning to invest approximately $500 billion (about 688.4 trillion won) over the next four years to establish large-scale data centers in the U.S.
The 5 GW power capacity of the data center in Abu Dhabi is four times the expected capacity of 1.2 GW for the first Stargate campus to be built in Abilene, Texas. OpenAI explained that as part of this agreement, G42 plans to make a reciprocal investment of the same amount in U.S. AI infrastructure. SoftBank and Oracle are also partners in the Abu Dhabi data center project, along with NVIDIA and Cisco.
OpenAI noted that the first 1 GW data center cluster will be built, with 200 megawatts (MW) set to operate in 2026. The UAE plans to provide ChatGPT Plus subscription services to its entire population and integrate OpenAI's technology across various government agencies, including energy and healthcare.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said in a statement, "We are making a bold vision a reality by establishing the world's first Stargate outside of the U.S. in the UAE," adding, "This step will allow critical innovations of our time, such as personalized learning, modernized energy, and safer pharmaceuticals, to emerge from a wider variety of regions and benefit the entire world."
However, Bloomberg reported that some in the Donald Trump administration are expressing concerns about the strategic implications of this collaboration. They have raised national security issues regarding the sharing of critical U.S. semiconductor technology for advanced AI model development and training with corporations and countries that have close ties to China, particularly focusing on G42.
This is because G42 has maintained close ties with China's leading telecommunications corporation Huawei. G42 promised to sever relations with Chinese companies, including Huawei, when it signed a $1.5 billion partnership with Microsoft last year, but there are still skeptical views on whether G42 will fulfill that promise.
Amid this, Bloomberg reported that OpenAI is considering establishing data centers in the Asia-Pacific region. The plans emerged shortly after OpenAI agreed to pursue a large-scale data center project in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the UAE. The Asia-Pacific region currently has the highest number of data centers globally, with companies like Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta planning data center expansions in the area.
To this end, OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Jason Kwon is expected to visit the region to meet with government officials and private sector partners. Kwon plans to visit Japan and South Korea, Australia, India, and Singapore starting next week to discuss AI infrastructure development and the utilization of OpenAI's software.
Earlier this month, OpenAI announced its plan to build AI capabilities based on democratic values and open markets through cooperation with governments worldwide. OpenAI explained that it will support countries in customizing its AI products to local languages and needs, initially focusing on partnerships with ten countries.