Overview

• Musk lobbied President Trump’s AI adviser, David Sacks, and called G42 executives to demand inclusion of xAI in the Abu Dhabi data center as part of his feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
• Despite delaying the announcement by several days, White House officials greenlit the Stargate UAE partnership without any role for xAI.
• The deal unites OpenAI with Oracle, Nvidia, SoftBank, Cisco and UAE firm G42 to build one of the world’s largest AI computing hubs in Abu Dhabi.
• Stargate UAE is a cornerstone of a broader $500 billion Project Stargate initiative launched in January to expand AI infrastructure worldwide.
• Critics warn the agreement could strengthen the Middle East as an AI rival to the United States and raise national security concerns.