du used GITEX Global 2025 to announce two big moves: a new AI Park in Dubai and a National Hybrid AI platform built under du Tech. The Park targets up to 1GW of liquid-cooled compute over time, with research labs, an incubator and sovereign-secure operations in the UAE. The platform ties du’s National Hypercloud to on-prem and public cloud tools so government and enterprise teams can build and deploy AI without heavy up-front spend. It’s phased, local, and meant to keep sensitive data onshore.
What du actually announced
A physical hub in Dubai, plus a unified platform for building and running AI across clouds—kept sovereign.
- AI Park in Warsan; master planning has started
- Up to 1GW liquid-cooled hyperscale capacity over time
- Research labs, start-up incubators, sovereign hybrid AI cluster
- National Hybrid AI expands du Tech’s National Hypercloud, integrates 5G/fibre and hyperscaler partners
du’s AI Park is pitched as a long-term, sovereign AI centre. Think multiple liquid-cooled data centres over several phases, plus spaces designed for R&D and start-ups to prototype and deploy AI safely inside the UAE. Alongside, National Hybrid AI aims to be the production layer: build in your cloud of choice, then deploy on sovereign infrastructure with unified management.
Why it matters for the UAE
It keeps critical AI workloads local and compliant, while boosting capacity and talent.
- Sovereign control and compliance with national AI data/security policies
- Local + global cable connectivity for regional hub status
- Incubation and research to grow skills and start-ups
- du positions this as core to economic diversification
For ministries and regulated sectors, the selling point is sovereignty: auditability, transparency and governance built in. Connectivity matters too—subsea and terrestrial routes help the Park act as a regional switching yard for AI traffic. The talent angle is baked in via labs and incubators, a smart move if the UAE wants more home-grown AI builders and founders.
What’s the timeline?
A phased build over five years, starting with research, incubation and hyperscale compute. Master planning is already underway.
- Master planning started
- Phased over five years
- Early launches centre on research, incubation, compute
There’s no single “go-live” date. Instead, expect a rolling programme. That’s normal for hyperscale sites, which ramp capacity, power and cooling in stages. For buyers, that means pilots can start sooner on available capacity, with scale-up as new phases land.
What is “National Hybrid AI”?
A platform sitting on du Tech’s National Hypercloud, tied into 5G/fibre and public-cloud partners, with a sovereign production environment.
- Build apps in your cloud of choice; deploy on sovereign infra
- Unified environment to deploy, manage and scale AI
- Reduces up-front capex for government and enterprise teams
This is aimed at teams stuck in POC limbo. Build where your tools live—on-prem, private cloud or a hyperscaler—then move to production without losing sovereign guarantees. Network integration should help with data gravity and low-latency edge deployments. For public-sector buyers, the budgeting angle is clear: turn heavy capex into predictable opex.
Sustainability, compliance and interconnect
Liquid cooling, scalable design and policy compliance are part of the spec.
- Liquid-cooled design to handle dense AI clusters
- Compliance with national AI data/security policies
- Cable routes position Dubai as a digital hub
- “Trusted infrastructure” is the stated aim
AI clusters are hot and thirsty. Direct-to-chip liquid cooling is now the baseline for multi-hundred-kilowatt racks, and du’s plan reflects that. On policy, sovereign control plus audit trails should make approvals easier for sensitive data. The interconnect story matters for multicloud setups and cross-border traffic, where consistent latency and bandwidth are key.
The CEO’s line, minus the fluff
du says this builds a “sovereign, secure, future-proof” AI platform that backs the UAE’s tech leadership goals.
- Sovereign foundation for AI economy
- Infrastructure + ecosystem, not just buildings
- Ties to economic diversification and talent
The quote sums up the intent: infrastructure alone doesn’t deliver outcomes. You need people, partners and a pathway from prototype to production. If du executes the platform and the Park in lockstep, the UAE gets both capacity and velocity.
When will the AI Park open?
du says master planning has started, with a phased rollout over five years focusing first on research, incubation and hyperscale compute.
How big is the compute footprint?
Over time, the Park targets up to 1GW of liquid-cooled capacity across multiple hyperscale data centres.
What is National Hybrid AI in plain English?
Build AI apps where you want, then deploy and run them on du Tech’s sovereign infrastructure, integrated with the National Hypercloud, 5G/fibre and hyperscaler partners.
