On September 11, six informed sources disclosed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is discreetly revising its plans for a 5-gigawatt (GW) artificial intelligence (AI) data center project—a venture that ranks among the most expansive AI data center undertakings beyond the borders of the United States. In the wake of the Iran conflict, the UAE has initiated a comprehensive review of the construction strategies and site selections for its vital infrastructure.

According to four of these sources, the project, initially earmarked for the development of a sprawling data center park spanning roughly 26 square kilometers in Abu Dhabi, might now be reconfigured into a distributed network of data centers scattered throughout the UAE. Moreover, the UAE is contemplating bolstering the security measures for these data centers, encompassing the deployment of air defense systems and the construction of certain facilities underground, as a deterrent against potential drone and missile strikes. These strategic modifications have hitherto remained unreported.