OpenAI has officially announced the launch of Stargate UAE, the first international deployment of its AI infrastructure platform, marking a major step in the company’s global strategy to build frontier-scale compute capacity. The initiative reflects OpenAI’s long-term vision of creating a safe, secure, and broadly beneficial artificial general intelligence (AGI) ecosystem.
This launch is also the first project under OpenAI for Countries, a new initiative designed to help governments worldwide build sovereign AI capabilities in alignment with the United States. According to OpenAI, this model is “rooted in democratic values, open markets, and trusted partnerships.”
The Stargate UAE project includes a 1GW cluster in Abu Dhabi, with 200MW expected to go live in 2026. In parallel, the UAE will invest in U.S.-based Stargate infrastructure, as part of the broader U.S.-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership. The agreement was developed in coordination with the U.S. government and includes contributions from industry giants such as G42, Oracle, NVIDIA, Cisco, and SoftBank.
OpenAI stated, “We greatly appreciate President Trump for his support in making it possible.”
The new collaboration will support the UAE in applying OpenAI’s tools across sectors like government, energy, healthcare, education, and transportation. It also includes a historic digital deployment: “The UAE will become the first country in the world to enable ChatGPT nationwide—giving people across the country the ability to access OpenAI’s technology.”
Stargate UAE is expected to deliver compute capacity to regions within a 2,000-mile radius, potentially reaching up to half the world’s population. It builds on a larger trend of AI infrastructure investment, including the UAE’s earlier pledge to invest $1.4 trillion in the U.S.
OpenAI also revealed that “in the initial phase of OpenAI for Countries we aim to pursue 10 partnerships across key countries and regions—laying the foundation for a globally distributed, democratically powered AI network.”
To accelerate these efforts, Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer, will begin an OpenAI for Countries roadshow across Asia Pacific next week to engage with governments and potential private-sector partners.
OpenAI concluded, “We look forward to continuing to work with governments and partners who share this vision.”