Six sources told Reuters the UAE is quietly revising its planned 5 GW AI data-centre project—one of the largest outside the US—after the Iran conflict prompted authorities to reassess where and how to build key infrastructure. The scheme, originally designed as a single 10-sq-mile (26 sq km) campus in Abu Dhabi, may be replaced by a distributed network of multiple sites across the UAE, four sources said. Authorities are also considering enhanced protection, including air-defence systems and part

Six sources told Reuters the UAE is quietly revising its planned 5 GW AI data-centre project—one of the largest outside the US—after the Iran conflict prompted authorities to reassess where and how to build key infrastructure. The scheme, originally designed as a single 10-sq-mile (26 sq km) campus in Abu Dhabi, may be replaced by a distributed network of multiple sites across the UAE, four sources said. Authorities are also considering enhanced protection, including air-defence systems and partial underground construction, to guard against drone and missile strikes. The possible redesign, not previously reported, affects a UAE–US AI park being developed with several US tech firms and was planned for announcement during President Trump’s visit last year. The project is central to the UAE’s push to diversify from oil and become a global AI hub.