Bahrain
Batelco by Beyon and Qareeb Data Centres announce strategic partnership to launch the Kingdom’s first edge data centre
Batelco by Beyon and Qareeb Data Centres have signed a strategic partnership agreement under which Qareeb will manage and operate its first edge data centre via a long-term lease of Batelco’s newly announced facility. Based within Beyon’s Data Oasis in Southern Bahrain, the site is positioned as a first-of-its-kind development in the Kingdom, offering 6,000 sq.m of scalable space and enabling sovereign, low-latency, AI-ready colocation services for enterprises, cloud providers, and digital platforms across the GCC. The agreement marks the project’s transition from completion into operational readiness, supporting Batelco’s wider data centre strategy while establishing Qareeb’s first operational facility – an initiative both parties say will strengthen Bahrain’s digital infrastructure and reinforce its ambition to serve as a regional hub for connectivity, innovation, and sustainable growth…Read more
Cloud Capital and Arcapita acquire data centre in the US
Cloud Capital and Bahrain-based alternative asset manager Arcapita have formed a joint venture to acquire a 21MW data centre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with plans to expand to 31Mw via an additional 10MW build-out. The transaction was executed through Cloud Capital Fund III, a newly launched closed-end vehicle focused on value-add data centre acquisition and development opportunities, and the facility is described as being primarily leased long-term to a leading provider of sovereign AI and cloud inferencing solutions. Arcapita positioned the deal as a strategic step in scaling its exposure to AI-driven digital infrastructure and indicated it expects this to be the first of multiple investments on the sector over the near to medium term, while Cloud Capital highlighted the asset’s stabilised income profile alongside expansion upside…Read more
GCC
Qatar and UAE reportedly to sign up to US-led Pax Silica initiative
Qatar and the UAE are set to join Pax Silica, a US-led initiative launched by the US Department of State in December 2025 to strengthen secure, trusted supply chains for semiconductors and the wider AI technology stack. According to Reuters, Qatar is expected to sign have signed the declaration only a couple of days ago, with the UAE following today, joining founding participants including Japan, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, and the UK. Once signed, members will explore collaboration on flagship projects spanning connectivity and data infrastructure, compute and semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, logistics, mineral refining/processing, and energy – alongside a 2026 agenda to expand membership and strengthen protection of critical infrastructure and technologies….Read more
Interesting News
The US moves to industrialise AI infrastructure, putting ‘’compute + power’’ on the fast track
A wide cross-section of hyperscalers, data centre operators, and infrastructure vendors convened at the US National Nuclear Security Administration’s Savannah River Site (South Carolina) for an ‘industry day’ focused on proposals to develop AI data centres co-located with new energy infrastructure on Department of Energy (DOE) land. The US is increasingly treating AI compute and power as a national infrastructure programme, using DOE sites – such as Savannah River – to fast-track private AI data centres explicitly tied to new generation, with nuclear (including modular pathways) clearly on the table. Attendees spanned the full delivery chain, including Microsoft, Google, Meta, Oracle, Digital Realty, alongside specialists such as Crusoe Submer, and energy players like Oppenheimer Energy and GE Vernova, reinforcing that the next wave of AI capacity is being structured as am integrated ‘’compute + power’’ model rather than a traditional real estate-led build. For GCC stakeholders, the signal is directly relevant: firm power is now the key constraint and competitive lever – mirroring what we are seeing in the UAE through gas-backed generation to unlock near-term speed-to-power, alongside rising interest in SMR-style nuclear options to provide dedicated, lower-carbon baseload for future multi-GW AI campuses…Read more