Oracle has expanded its Abu Dhabi cloud region with the Middle East’s first Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Supercluster, designed to accelerate sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) development. This significant expansion is powered by Nvidia’s latest Blackwell GPUs.
The artificial intelligence supercluster aims to bolster Abu Dhabi’s ambition to become the world’s first fully AI-native government by 2027. This initiative represents one of the largest investments in advanced AI computing within the Middle Eastern region.
Abu Dhabi’s AI-Native Government Vision
The new OCI Supercluster empowers governments and highly regulated industries within the UAE to develop and train AI models. It will also facilitate complex simulations and in-country research, crucially allowing all data to remain within national borders to comply with strict data sovereignty requirements.
Oracle established its initial Abu Dhabi cloud region in 2019, followed by a second region in Dubai. This strategic placement made Oracle the first major global cloud provider to operate two distinct cloud regions within the UAE. The company’s ongoing expansion in the Middle East supports key sectors including healthcare, finance, and aviation with federal-grade cloud services.
Executive Reactions to the Supercluster
Nick Redshaw, Oracle’s senior vice-president for cloud infrastructure in the Middle East and Africa, described the launch as a pivotal moment for the region. “By bringing the region’s first OCI Supercluster to Abu Dhabi, we are giving governments and enterprises access to some of the world’s most advanced AI compute capabilities, right here in-region,” Redshaw stated.
Marc Domenech, Nvidia’s senior regional director for enterprise Meta, highlighted the partnership’s contribution to achieving Abu Dhabi’s AI vision. He noted that the combined power of Nvidia’s accelerated computing and Oracle’s secure cloud infrastructure provides nations with an “AI Factory” for innovation while maintaining data control.
Driving Digital Transformation with AI
The UAE has demonstrated rapid adoption of AI technologies to enhance government services. Abu Dhabi’s AI-native government strategy integrates with existing digital initiatives, such as the establishment of fully paperless services, the implementation of predictive tools for citizen support, and the automation of public sector operations through secure inter-agency data sharing.
Recent industry events, including the Dubai Airshow and Gitex Global, have seen UAE officials emphasizing the strategic importance of sovereign AI and supercomputing. These technologies are seen as crucial for advancements in aviation safety, air mobility, energy planning, and the development of national digital identity systems.
Oracle’s Global and Regional Cloud Expansion
Oracle currently operates cloud regions in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Jeddah, with plans for further expansion in Riyadh. The company is also developing specialized sovereign cloud zones specifically for government and defense applications. Globally, Oracle aims to deploy its comprehensive cloud services across over 200 locations, including public clouds, private data centers, and edge computing environments.
The introduction of this new AI supercluster provides Middle Eastern entities with the robust computing power necessary to develop large foundation models, specialized AI assistants, and advanced scientific applications. By ensuring data remains within the UAE, Oracle’s investment is positioning Abu Dhabi as a significant hub for AI innovation and digital governance in the region, especially as the demand for sovereign AI capabilities continues to rise.