UAE
KKR invests in Gulf Data Hub
Under its Global Infrastructure strategy, the investment firm KKR has outlined plans to invest in the UAE-based operator Gulf Data Hub (GDH). GDH has an owned portfolio of 7 data centres in the UAE and KSA, with additional facilities planned for the rest of the GCC, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco. This is KKR’s first data centre investment in the Middle East, totalling more than $5bn of investment into GDH, to bolster GDH’s position and fuel its international growth strategies…Read more
Abu Dhabi to become the world’s first fully AI-native government by 2027
The Abu Dhabi government has unveiled its ‘Abu Dhabi Government Digital Strategy 2025-2027,’ which aims to accelerate the Emirate’s transformation into an AI-powered government. The initiative seeks to position Abu Dhabi as a global leader in AI-driven government services by establishing a robust digital infrastructure and creating a flexible, scalable foundation. Key goals include achieving 100% adoption of sovereign cloud computing for government operations and digitising/automating all government processes. AED13bn will be allocated to the strategy over the 2025-2027 period, with an expected return of AED24bn to Abu Dhabi’s GDP by 2027, along with the creation of more than 5,000 new job opportunities…Read more
Saudi Arabia
Armada to deploy containerised data centre pods for Newlab in Riyadh
Armada, a containerised edge data centre firm, is to deploy two pods at sites operated by the startup platform Newlab in Detroit and Riyadh. The deal will see an Armada Galleon containerised data centre deployment at Newlab’s regional innovation hub in Detroit, later deploying in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Last year, Armada partnered with the Middle Eastern data centre engineering consulting and cloud firm Edarat Group to deploy 10 Galleons across the GCC and Middle East…Read more
Saudi Arabia to invest $20bn on digital infrastructure
At the recent World Economic Forum, the Minister of Commerce announced Saudi Arabia’s plans to invest $20bn over the next five years to develop its digital infrastructure, aimed at boosting the services sector. The Kingdom has already invested $25bn in the past five years to prepare for automation. In 2023, Saudi Arabia’s services sector was valued at $144bn, growing at an annual rate of 7%. The Minister emphasised the country’s Vision 2030 goals and highlighted the establishment of new government agencies, such as the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, to enhance the business and investment landscape…Read more
Qatar
MEEZA expands its data centre footprint in Doha
Qatar-based data centre operator MEEZA has announced the expansion of its data centre capacity by 4MW as part of its strategic move to meet the growing demand for digital infrastructure in the country. This expansion will allow MEEZA to meet the rapidly growing demands for AI, cloud, data security, and high-performance computing in Qatar and regionally. MEEZA also signed a Shariah-compliant facility with Dukhan Bank for $37.15mn to support this expansion…Read more