Microsoft announced a sweeping global expansion of its artificial intelligence operations, committing $15.2 billion to the United Arab Emirates over the next four years while also signing a $9.7 billion contract with Australia’s IREN for additional AI cloud capacity. The twin investments signal Microsoft’s aggressive push to secure computing dominance and deepen its global AI footprint.
Unveiled at the Abu Dhabi Global AI Summit, the UAE deal includes the first-ever shipments of advanced Nvidia GPUs to the region under a U.S. export license, marking a diplomatic milestone in Washington’s export-control strategy. The funds cover new AI data centers, talent programs, and a pledge to train one million UAE residents by 2027, positioning Abu Dhabi as a regional hub for model development. The initiative builds on earlier capital investments, including a $1.5 billion stake in G42, the UAE’s sovereign AI firm.
Simultaneously, Microsoft’s partnership with IREN secures large-scale compute infrastructure featuring Nvidia GB300 GPUs at a Texas facility supporting 750 megawatts of capacity. The five-year agreement follows a string of major GPU acquisitions, underscoring Microsoft’s determination to meet surging demand for AI services across Azure, OpenAI, and enterprise partners worldwide.
