Data Center World Middle East will bring government, hyperscalers and infrastructure operators together to address the power, skills and operational challenges of scaling AI infrastructure.
Abu Dhabi’s growing data centre industry is seeking stronger collaboration between government, hyperscalers and infrastructure operators as the emirate prepares for a sharp rise in AI-related computing demand.
According to JLL’s EMEA Mid-Year Data Center Report 2026, Abu Dhabi has 374MW of IT capacity, making it the Middle East’s largest data centre market. The Department of Energy expects AI infrastructure to require around 2GW of power initially, rising to 5GW. The emirate is investing AED 250 billion in energy and water infrastructure between 2025 and 2035.
Mehdi Paryavi, Chairman and CEO of the International Data Center Authority, said the region needs coordinated planning, adaptable standards, skilled professionals and reliable energy to support AI infrastructure at scale. He urged developers to work with governments, utilities and industry partners rather than focus solely on individual facilities.
“The biggest gap in making Gulf data centres AI-ready is the lack of a coordinated approach to scale.”
— Mehdi Paryavi, Chairman and CEO, International Data Center Authority
Operational preparedness is equally important. Khazna Data Centers, which operates 30 data centres with 673MW of capacity, is among the key players supporting the UAE’s ambitions. Its Senior Director of Operations, Morten Tidemand, said AI workloads require operators to rethink cooling, maintenance and emergency procedures before new capacity goes live.
These issues will feature at the inaugural Data Center World Middle East, scheduled for 17–18 November at Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi. Organised by inD, an Informa/DWTC company, the event will bring together representatives from AWS, Google, Microsoft and Oracle, alongside government and industry leaders. Sessions will address advanced liquid cooling and data centre halls supporting rack densities from 10kW to more than 100kW.
