Stargate UAE Faces US Security Concerns

US officials are concerned about the security of a multi-billion-dollar AI data center hub in the United Arab Emirates. The 10-square-mile Stargate UAE AI campus is still under negotiation due to the UAE’s ties with China.

US officials’ concerns about the UAE's reliability as a strategic partner echo those raised during former President Joe Biden’s administration and Donald Trump’s first term. OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank Group, Nvidia, and Cisco teamed with conglomerate G42 to build a gigawatt Stargate UAE cluster in Abu Dhabi, with 200 megawatts expected to go live in 2026.

During Trump’s first term, the UAE and other Gulf states deployed Huawei’s 5G technology despite his administration’s objections. Additionally, other members of Trump’s current administration doubt whether the UAE can prevent US technology from falling into the hands of foreign adversaries. The current US administration has yet to determine the security conditions for exporting Nvidia’s advanced chips to the UAE, or how those conditions will be enforced.

While the Trump administration is committed to the project, members of both US political parties have concerns over the UAE’s relationship with China. There’s no timeline for finalizing the deal, but UAE officials need to accept the potential controls on the US technology, although they could also request amendments, which may delay final approval. Trump unveiled the Stargate joint venture with OpenAI, SoftBank Group, and Oracle in January. It is initially worth $100 billion, but it could grow to $500 billion over the next four years.