The United Arab Emirates is quietly revising plans for a 5-gigawatt AI data center project after the Iran war prompted a rethink of how and where to build critical infrastructure, six people familiar with the matter said.

The project was originally planned as a 26-square-kilometer campus in Abu Dhabi. It will now likely become a network of data centers across the UAE, four of the people said.

Officials are also considering stronger protections against drone and missile attacks, including air defenses and underground construction.

The UAE-US AI Campus was announced during President Donald Trump’s visit last year.

The project is central to the UAE’s effort to become a global AI hub as it reduces its reliance on oil. It is led by G42, an Abu Dhabi-based AI company controlled by Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed al Nahyan, the UAE national security adviser and the president’s brother.

🔗 Source: Reuters

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