Table of Contents
The investment from Microsoft includes more than $10 billion in capital expenditure on AI data centers and infrastructure
In sum – what to know:
$15.2B investment through 2029 – Microsoft expands UAE AI and cloud infrastructure, including $10 billion in capital spending and major datacenter projects in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Advanced GPU capacity established – The company secured U.S. export licenses to deploy more than 80,000 high-performance GPUs supporting OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft models locally.
Focus on skills and trust – Through talent programs and the Responsible AI Future Foundation, Microsoft aims to foster AI proficiency and responsible governance across the region.
Microsoft has announced plans to invest $15.2 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud infrastructure across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 2029, the company said in a statement.
The investment — spanning 2023 through the end of the decade — includes more than $10 billion in capital expenditure on AI data centers and infrastructure, alongside operating costs and partnerships designed to build local capacity. Much of the initiative is being implemented in collaboration with G42, the UAE’s sovereign AI company, under a framework supported by both the U.S. and UAE governments.
Between 2023 and 2025, Microsoft invested $7.3 billion, including a $1.5 billion equity stake in G42 and $4.6 billion in AI and cloud data center construction across Abu Dhabi and Dubai. From 2026 through 2029, the company plans to spend an additional $7.9 billion, with $5.5 billion directed to new data center expansion and $2.4 billion allocated to operating costs and services.
The company said it has secured U.S. export licenses to supply GPUs to the UAE, meeting cybersecurity and technology control requirements. To date, Microsoft has assembled the equivalent of 21,500 Nvidia A100 GPUs, with new approvals allowing the import of 60,400 additional next-generation GB300 chips.
The U.S. firm highlighted that these resources will enable local access to AI models developed by OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft itself, while supporting AI-enabled applications for businesses, government, and consumers across the UAE.
Alongside infrastructure investments, the tech giant is expanding programs to build the UAE’s AI workforce. The company employs nearly 1,000 staff of 40 nationalities and supports a partner network of 1,400 local firms employing 45,000 professionals.
In 2025, Microsoft established the Global Engineering Development Center in Abu Dhabi to attract global software engineers and support regional AI deployments. A second facility, the AI for Good Lab, focuses on large-scale AI model research and collaborations with universities, and startups.
Microsoft also reaffirmed its commitment to train one million people in the UAE by 2027, including 120,000 government employees, 175,000 students, and 39,000 teachers through local education partnerships.
“Microsoft’s infrastructure investments in the UAE reflect the country’s growing global role in AI innovation,” said Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft. “Our goal is to help ensure this technology advances broad economic opportunity and trusted global collaboration.”
In April 2024, the company announced an investment of $1.5 billion in G42.
