The UAE is reevaluating the design of its proposed 5GW AI data centre project following Iranian missile and drone attacks that damaged cloud infrastructure in the UAE and Bahrain, as reported by Reuters.
Initially planned as a 10-square-mile campus in Abu Dhabi, the project is now expected to consist of a network of data centres spread across the UAE, according to sources familiar with the plans. The final design, construction costs, and potential impact on the project schedule have yet to be determined.
G42, the UAE-based technology company leading the project, stated that work on the AI campus is progressing as planned. The specifics of the project are continuously reviewed to meet the security, resilience, and operational standards required for critical infrastructure of this scale.
Various measures are under consideration to enhance the project’s security, such as placing infrastructure underground, utilizing blast-resistant materials, adding backup power and cooling systems, and incorporating equipment to defend against drones and missiles. Additionally, facilities handling sensitive data may be located inside mountains for added protection.
The review comes in response to the physical damage inflicted on AWS infrastructure in the region earlier this year due to drone strikes. The disruptions caused by these attacks highlight the importance of physical protection measures in safeguarding critical data centre infrastructure.
The UAE-US AI Campus was announced in May 2025 as part of a technology agreement between the two countries, with the goal of providing 5GW of AI data centre capacity in Abu Dhabi. The project, led by G42, will involve US technology companies and is set to include a 1GW compute cluster called Stargate UAE.
The revised plans for the project indicate a distributed design across multiple locations, departing from the original concept of a single campus in Abu Dhabi. This shift in strategy aims to enhance the project’s resilience and security against potential threats.
Overall, the reworking of the 5GW AI campus underscores the importance of adapting to evolving security challenges and ensuring the robustness of critical infrastructure in the face of emerging threats. The incorporation of physical protection measures and distributed design elements reflects a proactive approach to mitigating risks and safeguarding valuable data assets.
