"Microsoft declared on Monday that it will spend more than $7.9 billion on infrastructure for its AI strategy in the UAE from the start of 2026 to the end of 2029. The Redmond firm says that this will comprise more than $5.5 billion in capital expenses for expansion of its AI and cloud infrastructure, including new steps it plans to disclose in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi later this week, plus $2.4 billion in planned local operating expenses."
"Smith claimed that Microsoft was the first company under the current Trump administration to secure export licenses from the Commerce Department to ship GPUs to the UAE. These were approved in September, and permitted the firm to ship advanced GB300 GPUs that Microsoft says are "equivalent" to 60,400 A100 chips. The global cloud giant also signed a GPU services contract with AI cloud provider Iren Limited, said to be worth $9.7 billion over five years."
Microsoft will invest more than $7.9 billion in AI infrastructure in the UAE between the start of 2026 and the end of 2029. The investment includes over $5.5 billion in capital expenses for AI and cloud expansion and $2.4 billion in planned local operating costs, with further steps to be disclosed in Abu Dhabi. Export licenses approved in September enabled shipment of GB300 GPUs equivalent to 60,400 A100 chips. Microsoft signed a GPU services contract with Iren Limited valued at $9.7 billion over five years, and Iren plans phased GPU deployments at Childress, Texas with liquid-cooled datacenters supporting 200 MW of IT infrastructure. Alphabet is selling bonds in Europe to raise cash for AI expansion.
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