Stargate UAE’s First Phase Accelerating On-Site in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi’s Stargate UAE project is advancing swiftly, with G42 and its affiliate Khazna Data Centers confirming that construction has moved past preliminary stages and that the design-to-build effort is now in full execution. The first 200 MW of capacity is slated to go live in 2026, forming part of a 1 GW AI cluster within the broader 5 GW UAE–U. S. AI Campus.

Civil, structural and architectural works are well underway, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing elements are being finalised. Key modular components have entered production, and long-lead equipment procurement is complete, with early deliveries already on site. A G42 spokesperson described these milestones as evidence of robust supply-chain coordination.

Khazna aims to complete the full 1 GW build-out over the next three years, a timeframe echoed by its executive team. The development spans roughly 10 square miles, and the team is positioning the project not merely as a data centre but as an integrated AI ecosystem, encompassing R&D zones, logistics infrastructure and community support facilities.

While the first 1 GW cluster is proceeding apace, the broader 5 GW campus—anchored by U. S. partnerships and aligned with national AI ambitions—does not yet have a confirmed full completion date.

Cerebras Systems, an AI chip innovator, has disclosed plans to deploy “megawatts worth” of its systems within Stargate, signalling ambition from chip firms to establish a foothold in the UAE’s compute grid. The company competes with Nvidia in the AI hardware space and already has ties with G42, though U. S. export licence requirements remain a key variable in its deployment timeline.

The initial segment is expected to use Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell GB300 servers. The switch to this architecture aims to support large-scale model training and high-density inference workloads.

Geopolitics, and particularly U. S. export controls, are integral to the stakes of the project. G42’s prior association with Chinese technology groups has attracted scrutiny in Washington, which has been sensitive about advanced chip flows to the Gulf. To mitigate this, G42’s leadership has engaged in diplomatic outreach, and U. S. agencies plan to deploy a bilateral working group to oversee compliance with security standards.

OpenAI, Oracle, Cisco and SoftBank remain strategic collaborators. These firms are positioned to manage operations, connectivity and security layers within the campus. Observers say their roles are vital both in ensuring high availability and in creating trust among global stakeholders.

Some analysts regard the first 200 MW segment as a template for modular expansion: by proving the model at scale, the developers intend to attract additional hyperscale partners. Others caution that the success of subsequent phases hinges on supply chains unaffected by geopolitical trade shocks, as well as predictable regulatory regimes governing AI exports and cross-border data flows.