UAE data centre policy highlights AI-energy nexus
4 February 2025
Commentary
Jennifer Aguinaldo
Energy & technology editor
The UAE National Team for Reviewing the Impact of Data Centres on the Energy Sector held its inaugural meeting on 3 February.
The UAE Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure (MoEI)-attached entity was formed to assess the impact of data centres on the domestic energy sector and to work on developing a federal policy aimed at regulating the operation of local data centres.
Sharif Al-Olama, undersecretary for energy and petroleum affairs at the MoEI, said the formation of the national team is part of the state's strategic efforts towards digital transformation and enhancing sustainability in the energy sector.
This development follows significant initiatives aligned with the UAE's national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy.
For instance, Emirates Water & Electricity Company and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) announced the $6bn "gigawatt-scale" solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (bess) project in Abu Dhabi in mid-January.
The project, comprising 5,200MW of solar PV and a 19 gigawatt-hour (GWh) bess plant, is expected to provide 1,000MW of round-the-clock, baseload renewable power.
The UAE leadership has said this project will help advance AI and other emerging technologies while contributing to its 2050 net-zero target.
Advanced AI models require the construction of hyperscale – large-capacity and low-latency – data centres, which consume large amounts of electricity, impacting consumption, supply, planning and carbon emissions.
A federal policy could help streamline the entire ecosystem and mobilise plans to ensure no single point of failure once all the planned data centres start operating.
This move comes a few months after the UAE cabinet approved the state's international AI policy in October, which focuses on advancement, cooperation, community, ethics, sustainability and security.
In addition to helping shape future standards and guidelines in AI diffusion, the UAE foreign AI policy advocates "transparency and built-in checkpoints within AI tools, enabling governments to enforce ethical standards and implement accountability measures".
Investors and data centre operators will be watching these evolving policies with great interest to ensure compliance, and to see what impact they might have on capital and operating expenses, if any.
Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.
Exclusive from Meed
-
UAE GDP projection corrects on conflict24 April 2026
-
April 2026: Data drives regional projects24 April 2026
-
Boutique Group tenders Tuwaiq Palace hotel in Riyadh24 April 2026
-
Firms announce 129MW Dubai data centre24 April 2026
-
Iraq signs upstream oil contract24 April 2026
All of this is only 1% of what MEED.com has to offer
Subscribe now and unlock all the 153,671 articles on MEED.com
- All the latest news, data, and market intelligence across MENA at your fingerprints
- First-hand updates and inside information on projects, clients and competitors that matter to you
- 20 years' archive of information, data, and news for you to access at your convenience
- Strategize to succeed and minimise risks with timely analysis of current and future market trends
Related Articles
-
UAE GDP projection corrects on conflict
24 April 2026
MEED’s May 2026 report on the UAE includes:
> COMMENT: Conflict tests UAE diversification
> GVT &: ECONOMY: UAE economy absorbs multi-sector shock
> BANKING: UAE banks ready to weather the storm
> ATTACKS: UAE counts energy infrastructure costs
> UPSTREAM: Adnoc builds long-term oil and gas production potential
> DOWNSTREAM: Adnoc Gas to rally UAE downstream project spending
> POWER: Large-scale IPPs drive UAE power market
> WATER: UAE water investment broadens beyond desalination
> CONSTRUCTION: War casts shadow over UAE construction boom
> TRANSPORT: UAE rail momentum grows as trade routes face strainTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16554417/main.gif -
April 2026: Data drives regional projects
24 April 2026
Click here to download the PDF
Includes: Commodity tracker | Top 10 global contractors | Brent spot price | Construction output
MEED’s May 2026 report on the UAE includes:
> COMMENT: Conflict tests UAE diversification
> GVT &: ECONOMY: UAE economy absorbs multi-sector shock
> BANKING: UAE banks ready to weather the storm
> ATTACKS: UAE counts energy infrastructure costs
> UPSTREAM: Adnoc builds long-term oil and gas production potential
> DOWNSTREAM: Adnoc Gas to rally UAE downstream project spending
> POWER: Large-scale IPPs drive UAE power market
> WATER: UAE water investment broadens beyond desalination
> CONSTRUCTION: War casts shadow over UAE construction boom
> TRANSPORT: UAE rail momentum grows as trade routes face strainTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16553627/main.gif -
Boutique Group tenders Tuwaiq Palace hotel in Riyadh
24 April 2026
Saudi Arabia’s Boutique Group, backed by the sovereign wealth vehicle Public Investment Fund (PIF), has retendered a contract to convert Tuwaiq Palace in Riyadh into a hotel.
Contractors have been given a deadline of 31 May to submit proposals.
The scheme comprises 40 hotel rooms and suites and 56 one- and two-bedroom villas.
According to regional projects tracker MEED Projects, the contract was first tendered in 2022.
In January of that year, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman launched Boutique Group to manage and convert historic and cultural Saudi palaces into ultra-luxury hotels.
Boutique Group’s first phase covers three palaces, two of which are under construction. Al-Hamra Palace in Jeddah is being converted to include 33 suites and 44 villas. In July 2023, MEED reported that Jeddah-based Al-Redwan Contracting was appointed the main contractor for the Al-Hamra Palace conversion.
The other project is the Red Palace in Riyadh, which will feature 46 suites and 25 guest rooms. In 2023, local contractor Mobco won the contract to undertake the project.
In 1957, the Red Palace became the headquarters of the Council of Ministers for 30 years, and later served as the main office for the Board of Grievances until 2002.
Jordan-headquartered Dar Al-Omran is acting as supervision consultant on all three projects.
Photo credits: Omrania
MEED’s April 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:
> COMMENT: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift
> GVT &: ECONOMY: Riyadh navigates a changed landscape
> BANKING: Testing times for Saudi banks
> UPSTREAM: Offshore oil and gas projects to dominate Aramco capex in 2026
> DOWNSTREAM: Saudi downstream projects market enters lean period
> POWER: Wind power gathers pace in Saudi Arabia
> WATER: Sharakat plan signals next phase of Saudi water expansion
> CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction enters a period of strategic readjustment
> TRANSPORT: Rail expansion powers Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure pushTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16549695/main.jpg -
Firms announce 129MW Dubai data centre
24 April 2026
Dubai’s Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) has signed a joint-venture agreement with Netherlands-headquartered data centre developer Volt to build a new artificial intelligence (AI)-ready data centre in the emirate.
Planned for Dubai Silicon Oasis, the development will take the form of a campus covering up to 60,000 square metres.
The project will be delivered in two phases, starting with 29MW of immediately available capacity, followed by a second phase adding a further 100MW of committed power.
Under the arrangement, DIEZ will supply the land and essential infrastructure, while Volt will finance and develop the project, lead construction, and manage the design, leasing, implementation and day-to-day operations.
French firm Schneider Electric, which has its regional headquarters in Dubai Silicon Oasis, will support the development by supplying advanced electrical systems, power distribution capabilities and smart data centre infrastructure.
The GCC currently has more than 174 active data centre projects, representing over $93bn in investment, led by international players such as AWS, Google and Huawei, alongside regional developers including Khazna and Moro, supported by government-led localisation strategies.
More than a dozen large-scale facilities valued at over $100m each are currently under tender, with further packages expected to reach the market over the next six to 12 months.
The UAE is one of the leading data centre markets, with hyperscale campuses, sovereign cloud initiatives and edge data centre deployments underway.
Data centre development is closely aligned with the UAE’s digital economy and AI roadmap, as well as the wider smart city programme.
Priorities include hyperscale and colocation facilities to support cloud service providers; edge data centres to reduce latency and enable 5G and IoT use cases; energy-efficient designs using advanced cooling, modular construction and renewables; and strategic partnerships between global hyperscalers, local developers and utilities.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16548972/main.JPG -
Iraq signs upstream oil contract
24 April 2026
State-owned Iraqi Drilling Company (IDC) has signed a contract with China’s EBS Petroleum for a project to drill 17 horizontal wells in the southeastern portion of the East Baghdad field.
Mohamed Hantoush, the general manager of IDC, said the contract signing came after a “series of successful achievements” by the company at the field.
The achievements included the completion of a project to drill 27 horizontal wells and another project to drill 18 horizontal wells, according to a statement released by Iraq’s Ministry of Oil.
In January, Iraq’s Midland Oil Company (MOC), in collaboration with EBS Petroleum, completed the country’s longest horizontal oil well in the southern part of the East Baghdad field.
The well, which was called EBMK-8-1H, reached a total depth of 6,320 metres, and had a 3,535-metre horizontal section, making it the country’s largest horizontal well ever drilled.
Senior officials from the Iraqi Oil Ministry and representatives of EBS Petroleum attended the well’s completion ceremony.
EBS Petroleum is a subsidiary of China’s ZhenHua Oil, which is focused on Iraq.
ZhenHua Oil is the operator of the field and is working with Iraqi partners to oversee the field’s development.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16543675/main4942.jpg