France, UAE to build 1-gigawatt AI data center

France and the United Arab Emirates agreed on Thursday a framework agreement for a 1-gigawatt data center dedicated to artificial intelligence, with an investment of between $30 billion and $50 billion, the French presidency said. President Emmanuel Macron hosted his UAE counterpart Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan on Thursday evening ahead of an artificial intelligence summit in Paris next week that will bring together around 100 countries to focus on the potential of AI, reported by Reuters.

Emmanuel Macron and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan

The summit on February 10-11 also aims to position France and Europe on the global stage of artificial intelligence. They are trying to compete with the US and China, which have taken the lead in energy-intensive technologies. The two leaders, Emmanuel Macron and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, expressed their desire to create a strategic partnership in the field of artificial intelligence. They committed to exploring opportunities for cooperation on projects and investments that support the development of the AI ​​value chain, according to a joint Franco-Emirati statement.

Artificial intelligence in France and the UAE

The investments will concern artificial intelligence in France and the UAE, the acquisition of advanced chips, data centers, talent development, and the creation of virtual data embassies to create sovereign AI and cloud infrastructures in both countries. The announcement of the first investments will be made at the Choose France summit later this year. The French government said earlier on Thursday that it had identified 35 sites for AI data centers.