Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Arcapita partners with Cloud Capital to acquire a 21MW data centre in Minneapolis, with plans to expand it to 31MW. The facility is leased to a sovereign AI and cloud provider, targeting surging demand from AI, cloud, and enterprise transformation while delivering stable, income-generating digital infrastructure exposure.
Big Tech firms are signing record multi-billion-dollar deals across chips, cloud, and data centres to secure AI capacity amid surging demand. Major players including OpenAI, Nvidia, Meta, Google, and Amazon are locking in long-term infrastructure to protect competitiveness and reduce future supply risks.
stc’s center3 and PIF-backed AI firm Humain have formed a joint venture to build and operate AI-focused data centres in Saudi Arabia, with capacity of up to 1GW. The partnership aims to deliver high-density, low-latency infrastructure to support large language models, mission-critical AI workloads, and the kingdom’s growing AI ecosystem.
Propeller has launched Kernel Camp, an eight-week San Francisco residency for early-stage MENA founders building AI infrastructure and core software. Running in April–May 2026, the programme offers product support, mentorship, full cost coverage, and direct access to Silicon Valley’s deep-tech ecosystem.
Qatar and Brookfield have formed a $20 billion joint venture to develop AI infrastructure, including an Integrated Compute Center, strengthening Qatar’s digital ecosystem and advancing Vision 2030. Brookfield invests through its global AI fund, supporting Qatar’s goal of becoming a regional hub for advanced computing.
Humain has announced a wave of strategic partnerships with Adobe, AWS, xAI and Luma AI, alongside a $900m investment round and the development of hyperscale data centres in Saudi Arabia. These deals strengthen the Kingdom’s AI infrastructure, expand multimodal AI capabilities, and position Humain as a major global AI powerhouse.
Microsoft has announced a $15 billion investment in the United Arab Emirates to strengthen the nation’s artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure, underscoring its role as a rising global AI hub. The investment—spanning 2023 to 2029—will fund digital infrastructure, R&D, and workforce development programs focused on AI skills and innovation.
MEEZA has launched MAI, a unified AI platform integrating MSNG and GPUaaS to power Qatar’s sovereign digital transformation. The innovation enables AI-driven managed services, high-performance computing, and secure data management aligned with Qatar’s technology sovereignty goals.
Cisco and G42 have expanded their partnership to build a secure, AI-ready infrastructure in the UAE powered by AMD MI350X GPUs, reinforcing the US–UAE AI Acceleration Partnership and the country’s position as a global leader in responsible AI innovation.
The UAE’s data infrastructure surge is fueling its ambitions for AI leadership and digital sovereignty. With billions invested in cloud and hyperscale capacity, the nation is positioning itself as the region’s primary digital hub and a vital node in the global technology ecosystem.