Countries / Gulf

AI in the Gulf

Spending heavily to become AI powers, pairing sovereign wealth and US chip alliances with light-touch, principles-based rules.

Profile reviewed 24 Sep 202612 developments tracked

MGX’s first AI fund at close (Jul 2026): $49bn
Planned UAE–US AI campus in Abu Dhabi, Stargate UAE its first 1 GW: 5 GW
Blackwell-class chips each cleared for G42 and HUMAIN (Nov 2025): 35,000

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Profile

Reviewed monthly · Sources (9)

Strategy

The UAE’s National AI Strategy 2031 aims for global AI leadership; Abu Dhabi’s MGX closed a $49bn AI fund in Jul 2026. In Saudi Arabia, SDAIA sets policy and PIF’s HUMAIN runs data centres and a venture fund, and is turning to outside investment.

Regulation

Neither country has an AI law. The UAE relies on its non-binding 2024 AI Charter and data laws (CMS); Saudi Arabia uses its data protection law plus SDAIA guidance, and its draft Global AI Hub Law has not been enacted.

Compute

Stargate UAE is the first 1 GW of a 5 GW UAE–US AI campus, with its first 200 MW due in Q3 2026. In Jul 2026 the US eased chip export controls for the UAE. HUMAIN is building 100 MW sites in Riyadh and Dammam.

Key labs

G42 (Core42, Khazna), MBZUAI, Technology Innovation Institute, MGX (UAE); HUMAIN, SDAIA (Saudi Arabia).

Notable models

TII Falcon H1R 7B (Jan 2026); MBZUAI K2 Think V2, fully open (Jan 2026); HUMAIN’s ALLaM 34B, behind HUMAIN Chat.

What to watch

Whether Stargate UAE’s first 200 MW goes live on schedule; whether HUMAIN’s data centres are running as PIF cuts back; whether Saudi Arabia gets chip terms as easy as the UAE’s.

Sources