GCC and Middle East
Data centre news.
Sovereign AI, hyperscale campuses, capital and leadership moves across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf, with what each means for hiring. Collected from the weekly T4X Briefing.
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HUMAIN issues two more work orders to MIS
Al Moammar Information Systems received work orders 3 and 4 under its HUMAIN AI data centre agreement, each worth more than 135% of its 2025 revenue, with 16 months to deliver (Argaam).
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Hassan Allam and Sterling and Wilson win a HUMAIN and Center3 build in Riyadh
The joint venture won the first phase of a Riyadh data centre for HUMAIN and stc's Center3, with 16.2MW of IT load rising to 50MW in phase two, at an estimated SR750m according to MEED (Enterprise AM).
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The UAE publishes a report on AI, water and energy
The report looks at water use across the AI value chain and calls for a global declaration on efficient water use in AI at December's UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi (UAE MOFA).
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MIS receives the first HUMAIN work order, covering 50MW
Al Moammar Information Systems received Work Order No. 1 under its 250MW HUMAIN agreement, moving the programme from contract to construction (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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Qai deploys sovereign GPU infrastructure at MEEZA in Qatar
The QIA-owned AI company is installing GPU infrastructure in a MEEZA facility with managed operations, keeping data under Qatari jurisdiction (Gulf Times).
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S&P expects the UAE and Saudi Arabia to add 2 to 3GW by 2030
S&P Global's research projects that Middle East capacity roughly triples by 2030, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia taking more than 80% of the GCC share (TradingView, via Zawya).
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Submer and ACES agree to build AI-ready data centres in Saudi Arabia
Submer and ACES Group signed an MoU covering design and build, retrofits and liquid and immersion cooling for high-density AI facilities; capacity and value were not stated (W.Media).
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Microsoft commits more than $10bn to the Gulf through 2030
Microsoft said it will invest more than $10bn in cloud and AI infrastructure across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, plus more than $400m for connectivity, keeping its pre-war plans with a focus on resilience (AGBI).
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MIS quadruples its HUMAIN AI data centre contract to 250MW
Al Moammar Information Systems signed an expanded agreement with HUMAIN, raising the AI data centre scope from 50MW to 250MW, delivered through phased work orders (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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UAE reported to be reworking its 5GW AI campus into a dispersed network
Reuters reported, citing four sources, that after the Iranian strikes the UAE is likely to spread its planned single 5GW Abu Dhabi campus across several sites, and is considering air defences and some underground construction. G42 said work is progressing as planned and specifics are under review (Al-Monitor, via Reuters).
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AWS says one UAE availability zone cannot be restored
AWS said it cannot restore access to resources held only in one UAE availability zone hit in the strikes, and that damage in Bahrain spread across several zones (Help Net Security).
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Khazna and Siemens agree to trial next-generation AI power technology
Khazna Data Centers and Siemens signed an MoU covering 800V DC power, digital twins and technology trials inside Khazna's live facilities, plus engineering internships (WAM).
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Oman's O-Green targets more than 200MW of AI-ready capacity by 2028
The state-backed renewables developer plans to pair its own generation with AI-ready data centres in Oman and beyond (Oman Observer).