G42's Stargate UAE nears first Nvidia chip shipments
Abu Dhabi's AI campus moves from US approval to deployment — up to 35,000 GB300 systems licensed, a 1GW first cluster, and a 5GW build at the centre of MBZ's bet on Washington
Summary
United Arab Emirates AI champion G42 is nearing its first Nvidia chip shipments for Stargate UAE, the Abu Dhabi AI campus at the centre of Mohammed Bin Zayed's wager on the US relationship. In November 2025 the White House authorised advanced AI chip exports to G42, with licences for up to 35,000 Nvidia GB300 systems or equivalent, plus AMD and Cerebras. CEO Peng Xiao says first shipments are due "within months," enabling the initial 200MW of a planned 1GW cluster, with the wider UAE-US AI campus targeting 5GW across a 10-square-mile Abu Dhabi site. Operated by G42 with OpenAI, Oracle, Cisco, Nvidia and SoftBank, the first 200MW is expected live in 2026. The build sits inside MBZ's AI strategy under Khaldoon Al Mubarak, even as US security analysts question exporting frontier compute to the Gulf.
By the numbers
- 35,000 — Nvidia GB300 systems (or equivalent) licensed for export to G42.
- 200MW → 1GW → 5GW — initial cluster, planned cluster, full campus target.
- 10 sq mi — footprint of the UAE-US AI campus in Abu Dhabi.
- Nov 2025 — US authorisation of the chip exports.
Why it matters
Frontier compute is the hard currency of MBZ's US alignment — the dividend of the same relationship behind the Iran ceasefire and arms ties. It also makes the UAE a test case for how far Washington will let strategic chips flow to a partner with deep China links, the question Congress and security analysts keep pressing.
What to watch
- Whether the first GB300 shipments and the 200MW cluster go live on schedule.
- US oversight conditions on diversion and China exposure.
- How the AI build is weighed against the UAE's Sudan and human-rights files.