In a bold step toward shaping the future of artificial intelligence, OpenAI is partnering with UAE-based technology firm G42 to construct a massive data center in Abu Dhabi—an initiative that could redefine the global AI landscape. Code-named “Stargate,” the ambitious project is slated to cover an astonishing 10 square miles (26 square kilometers), a footprint larger than the entire nation of Monaco. With an expected power demand of 5 gigawatts—equivalent to the output of five nuclear reactors—this AI campus is not just another data center; it’s a supercomputing behemoth.

The Stargate facility is central to a broader strategic alliance between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, aiming to establish the largest AI campus outside the U.S. Microsoft and Oracle, two of the world’s most prominent cloud infrastructure providers, are also lending their muscle to the initiative, reinforcing its global significance and technological depth.

Designed to support the most advanced AI systems, Stargate is envisioned as a backbone for high-intensity machine learning workloads, including large language models (LLMs), generative AI applications, and complex AI-driven simulations. Its development signals a growing recognition that AI’s future depends as much on physical infrastructure—massive compute, energy, and storage capacity—as it does on algorithms and data.

However, the project’s geopolitical undertones are hard to ignore. U.S. officials have raised concerns about G42’s past affiliations with Chinese tech firms, despite the company’s insistence that those ties have now been severed. As AI becomes a key arena of global competition, the balance between innovation and national security grows more delicate. Stargate, though a technological marvel in the making, is also a potential flashpoint in this larger narrative.

Still, for the UAE, Stargate represents an audacious bid to become a central node in the global AI ecosystem. With its deep-pocketed sovereign wealth, strategic partnerships, and appetite for technological leadership, the Emirates is positioning itself not just as a customer of AI, but as a key architect of its infrastructure.

As construction ramps up and political negotiations continue, all eyes will be on Abu Dhabi. In a world racing toward AI supremacy, Stargate could become either a model of global cooperation—or a symbol of the new tech Cold War.