Meed | Khazna announces first AI-enhanced data centre in UAE

Khazna announces first AI-enhanced data centre in UAE

16 October 2024

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UAE-based data centre and cloud services provider Khazna Data Centres has announced plans to establish the country's largest artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced data centre in the emirate of Ajman.

The new facility is expected to cost about AED1bn ($272m) and is expected to have a capacity of 100MW.

The project was announced by Suhail Mohammed Al-Mazrouei, energy and infrastructure minister, and Yousef Al-Ali, CEO of Etihad Water & Electricity (Ewec), on the sidelines of the Gitex Global 2024 event.

According to an official statement published by Emirates News Agency (Wam): "The work has started on the facility, which will span an area of 100,000 square metres (sq m) and will include 20 data halls, each with a capacity of 5MW."

The project is expected to be completed within 15 months.

"The new Tier 3 data centre will be the first AI data centre of its kind in the region, underscoring the country’s significant efforts to meet the growing demand for energy in the age of AI, which the International Energy Agency expects to double by 2026," the statement added.

Ewec will primarily power the Ajman data centre.

Khazna and another data centre and cloud computing provider, Injazat, both owned by Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investment firm Mubadala, became part of Abu Dhabi AI firm Group 42 (G42) in 2020 as a result of Mubadala acquiring a minority stake in the AI firm.

Both firms started as data centre service providers before expanding their services to include cloud and cyber security.

In 2021, G42 signed a binding agreement with Abu Dhabi-headquartered Etisalat Group to merge their data centres.

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Yasir Iqbal