Microsoft announces $15.2B AI investment in the UAE
Microsoft has detailed a seven-year, $15.2B package for AI and cloud infrastructure, skills and research in the UAE, alongside US‑approved Nvidia chip exports and partnerships with G42 and ADNOC.
Microsoft has outlined a $15.2 billion plan to invest in artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates between 2023 and 2029, detailing spending on data centres, skills and research as part of a deepening US–UAE tech partnership.
The package was presented in Abu Dhabi during a meeting between Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed and Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith.
Microsoft said it will have spent just over $7.3B by the end of 2025, including a $1.5B equity stake in Abu Dhabi AI company G42, more than $4.6B of capital expenditure on advanced AI and cloud data centres, and about $1.2B of local operating costs.
A further $7.9bn has been earmarked through 2029, of which more than $5.5B is planned for continued AI and cloud expansion and roughly $2.4B for operating expenses.
Export licences have unlocked Nvidia AI chips
To power the build‑out, Microsoft has reportedly secured US export licences to ship Nvidia’s A100, H100, H200 and GB300 class GPUs to the UAE, enabling delivery of the equivalent of about 60,000 additional A100‑class chips.
The approvals were reportedly granted under strict cybersecurity and physical‑security conditions and follow a licensing decision in September 2025.
Microsoft previously accumulated roughly 21,500 A100‑class GPUs in the country under earlier approvals and said the new capacity will support access to models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and open‑source providers via Azure.
Local capacity prioritised
The company highlighted ongoing capital spending on UAE data centres and work with local partners. It also pointed to agreements with state‑owned energy group ADNOC on AI deployment and sustainable energy projects to support global data‑centre growth.
Alongside infrastructure, Microsoft opened a Global Engineering Development Centre and the Microsoft AI for Good Lab in Abu Dhabi, and pledged to upskill one million people in the UAE by 2027 in partnership with government and education bodies.