UAE Plans 60 Trillion AI Tokens to Become World’s ‘Factory of Intelligence’

The plan was unveiled by Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, at the Milken Middle East and Africa Summit in Abu Dhabi, according to The National.

The proposed output would represent some 60% of projected global AI token production, a rough order of magnitude estimate of the scale of UAE ambition as it aims to become what Al Olama described as the "world's factory of intelligence." Central to that effort is the Stargate AI campus, a hyperscale data center project to serve next-gen AI workloads and national goals on digital transformation.

Also at the heart of the announcement was AI tokens, which are the very basic units that any AI model processes. Tokens are essentially bits of text, symbols, images, audio, or other types of data taken in by the AI system and translated into output. The number of tokens an AI system can process is directly related to the level of granular detail and context-aware functionality it will be able to deliver in more applications, from language processing to multimodal analysis.

It is designed to be a hyperscale AI campus, with a total computing power capacity of up to 5 GW over time. First operations are expected to start in 2026 with about 200 MW capacity, expanding to 1 GW and possibly more as demand for the facilities increases. The campus is intended to help not only fulfill large domestic AI use cases but also large international demand for the same levels of advanced computing resources.

The initiative represents part of a larger trend in redefining national technological leadership at a time when the scale of computation is increasingly being treated as a strategic resource. Rather than double down on software development or AI applications, the UAE's strategy focuses on the infrastructure layer that underpins modern artificial intelligence systems. By investing in the ability to generate and process AI tokens at scale, the country is positioning large-scale computational capacity as a strategic economic input in an increasingly AI-driven global economy.

This focus on intelligence infrastructure builds on the UAE's long-standing efforts to diversify its economy beyond hydrocarbons. Artificial intelligence has been a central pillar of that transition, supported by early policy initiatives and the appointment of a dedicated AI minister. The Stargate campus represents a continuation of that approach, shifting from experimentation and adoption toward industrial-scale production of AI capability.

Producing AI tokens on such a scale throws further emphasis on energy consumption, already an issue the UAE is tackling as it rolls out more advanced computing and digital infrastructure. Large data centers have very extensive and reliable supplies of power, and the country has increasingly highlighted efficiency, advanced cooling technologies, and the planning of energy as support for future digital growth. UAE officials have connected AI infrastructure development with the bigger efforts of taming the rise in electricity demand driven by new technologies.

The government has also pointed to the role of artificial intelligence itself in improving energy efficiency, including optimizing power generation and reducing operational waste. This dual approach, expanding AI infrastructure while using AI tools to manage its resource footprint has been framed as a key component of the country’s long-term digital and sustainability objectives.

Beyond domestic considerations, the ambitions of the UAE with regard to an AI token have wider implications for the global technology landscape. As artificial intelligence becomes more central to economic competitiveness, high-capacity computing infrastructure access is increasingly viewed as a strategic advantage. On an aggregate level, such computational capacity could not only support domestic AI use cases but also international demand for high-end AI services across various regions in pursuit of alternative computing hubs.

The Stargate project also reflects the growing international interest in AI infrastructure diversified geographically. In line with accelerating demands for AI processing, both governments and enterprises alike are looking for reliable and well-regulated environments capable of supporting large-scale deployments. Abu Dhabi's positioning as a stable financial and technological center is intended to support this role, according to the vision outlined at the summit.

While large-scale ambition is significant, officials have underlined that the initiative is designed to be implemented in phases, with capacity expanding alongside technological and market development.

As the UAE moves to operationalize Stargate and its wider AI infrastructure agenda, attention will continue to be paid to how that token-scale production translates into practical economic and technological outcomes. The initiative signals a clear intent to move beyond AI adoption toward industrial leadership in intelligence production, positioning computational capacity as a defining asset of the country’s next phase of growth.