The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia are pushing ahead with AI data center projects despite security risks tied to the US-Iran war, as both countries seek growth beyond oil and gas.

In Abu Dhabi, Khazna, a UAE-based data center developer backed by G42, said the planned 5-gigawatt AI campus remains on track to deliver its first 200 megawatts in the fourth quarter.

In Saudi Arabia, Humain, a Public Investment Fund-backed AI company, plans to raise an initial US$2.5 billion and build more than 6 gigawatts of computing capacity.

Risk remains after Amazon Web Services (AWS) reported issues at data centers in Bahrain and the UAE during Iranian strikes. Damage was later found at sites in Bahrain.

Analysts said access to advanced chips could still affect how fast these projects expand, even after Washington eased export restrictions for the UAE and later authorized AI chip exports to both the UAE and Saudi Arabia under policy conditions.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

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