​Speaking on a panel earlier this week, he said the five-gigawatt Stargate UAE project, backed by major technology companies, including Khazna Data Centres, OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco and SoftBank, shows the UAE’s goal to lead in AI.

​Al Olama said: “Stargate is the most famous piece of evidence … to not just ensure that we’re able to build international co-operation when it comes to AI infrastructure, but also to build something that no one has the audacity to dream of”

​Stargate UAE will cover an area of 19.2 square kilometres in Abu Dhabi. Additionally, the latest estimate puts the cost at 50% higher than the original $20 billion forecast made in spring 2025.

​Al Olama added that the UAE is also focusing on its experience in building large language models, which power generative AI and wants to help other countries develop their own AI systems.

​“The UAE kept exporting to ensure that countries that do not have the ability to build these models are able to leverage what the UAE has created,” Al Olama noted.

​“Certain players, whether it’s [from the] private or government sector, can create foundational models to a world where this is going to be consolidated and there’s going to be a few predominant models in the world.

​Commenting on data sovereignty being key for a nation, Al Olama continued: “We want to ensure that countries … have an option that does not look for profit and does not look for specific commercial gains, but focuses on giving all these countries sovereign options.”

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