UAE AI and Data Centre Boom: Supplier Opportunities

The UAE is building AI computing capacity at a scale few countries match, and every megawatt of it needs connectors, cabling, sensors and electronics that a local distributor can supply and support.

How big is the UAE AI infrastructure buildout?

The flagship project is Stargate UAE, a 1 GW AI cluster in Abu Dhabi that is part of a planned 5 GW UAE–U.S. AI campus. Khazna Data Centers, a G42 company, is developing it with OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, Cisco and SoftBank. The first 200 MW phase is scheduled for handover in 2026.

Microsoft has committed $15.2 billion to the UAE across 2023 to 2029, more than $10 billion of it for cloud and AI data centres, including 200 MW of new capacity with Khazna by the end of 2026. It also holds U.S. export licences to bring NVIDIA GPUs into the country.

On the wider region, Analysys Mason forecasts that investment in AI data centres across the GCC will reach USD 5–7 billion in 2026.

What AI data centres need from component suppliers

From a supplier’s point of view, an AI campus is a very large consumer of the same families of components that defence and telecom customers buy:

• Connectors and cable assemblies for power distribution and high-speed interconnect inside racks and between halls.
• Sensors for temperature, flow, leak and vibration monitoring, especially where liquid cooling is used.
• RF and microwave parts for the telecom links that connect campuses to the network.
• Electronic and mechanical components for power, cooling and monitoring systems, plus the spares that keep them running.

Timing matters. Reporting from October 2025 said all long-lead equipment procurement for the first Stargate UAE phase was complete and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems were being finalised. That suggests the clearest openings for a new supplier are later phases, expansions, maintenance and spares, and the wider market of telecom operators, enterprise data centres and smart infrastructure projects.

Power and cooling: the constraint shaping demand

Electricity is the limit on how fast AI capacity can grow, and the UAE is treating it as a policy question. In February 2025 a National Team for Reviewing the Impact of Data Centres on the Energy Sector held its first meeting, with a mandate to assess the effect on the domestic energy sector and develop a federal policy regulating the operation of local data centres. MEED notes that hyperscale facilities consume large amounts of electricity, which affects supply, planning and emissions.

Cooling is changing too. HPE and Khazna launched a managed hosting service with direct liquid cooling for AI in the UAE in 2024. For suppliers this means growing demand for monitoring sensors, power components and reliable connectors that suit dense, liquid-cooled racks.

The federal policy was still being developed in the reporting we found, so requirements may change. Suppliers should expect specifications to evolve and confirm current ones per project.

Why a UAE distributor matters for AI infrastructure suppliers

Data centre buyers work to tight build schedules, and a delay on a connector or sensor can hold up a hall. A distributor with a UAE presence helps a manufacturer in four practical ways: it maps the contractors and operators that specify your product, handles bills of materials and RFQs, keeps the compliance paperwork in order, and delivers to UAE sites with import logistics handled locally.

That is the model NEFCORE offers. AI, telecom and data centres is one of the three sectors we focus on, alongside defence and aerospace and smart infrastructure and mobility, and we work on a distribution basis rather than as a broker, with one point of contact for customers and a UAE entity for manufacturers.

UAE AI infrastructure: frequently asked questions

Who is driving AI infrastructure demand in the UAE?

The main names in public reporting are Khazna Data Centers and G42, working with OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, Cisco and SoftBank on Stargate UAE, and Microsoft through its own multi-year UAE investment.

Which components are in demand for AI data centres?

Connectors, cable assemblies, sensors, RF and microwave parts, and electronic and mechanical components for power, cooling and monitoring, along with the spares that support them.

Is it too late to supply the first Stargate UAE phase?

Long-lead equipment for phase one was reported as fully procured in October 2025. Expansion phases, maintenance and spares, and the wider telecom and enterprise market remain the more realistic entry points for a new supplier.

How does NEFCORE help manufacturers enter this market?

NEFCORE is a UAE distributor that handles account mapping, introductions, quotations, compliance paperwork and import logistics on a buy-and-resell basis. See For Manufacturers or contact us with your product range and target sectors.