UAE's "Stargate": Building a $60 Trillion Token Factory to Supply "Intelligent Crude Oil" for Global AI
Omar Al Olama, UAE's Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, announced at the recent Milken Middle East and Africa Summit in Abu Dhabi that the country plans to produce 60 trillion AI tokens through its massive "Stargate" data center.
In AI, a token is the basic unit for measuring text length (including punctuation and spaces), varying by language. The more tokens, the more complex and refined the output. All data — text, images, audio, or video — must first be "tokenized" before AI can process it.
According to chip giant Nvidia, data centers designed for AI are often called "AI factories." These are essentially new-generation data centers optimized to efficiently handle massive tokenization workloads, converting raw data into user-understandable AI "intelligence."
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in March this year that a single Hopper chip can generate about 100 tokens per second per user, while a megawatt-scale data center can produce 100,000 tokens per second. Of course, as GPU chips iterate, computation speeds will accelerate, significantly boosting token output.
Al Olama pointed out that the future of currency will point toward AI tokens — these new tokens can transform into key insights and technological intelligence that improve decision-making quality, enhance quality of life, and boost productivity.
He emphasized that the UAE is committed to building an AI factory with 60 trillion tokens production capacity — a key step in the country's ambition to become the "world's factory of intelligence."
He did not provide a specific timeline for achieving this goal, stating, "Many fundamentals still need to be confirmed."
This ambitious AI token production plan will be realized through the "Stargate" data center. The 1-gigawatt-capacity "Stargate" data center is expected to begin operations at 200 megawatts in 2026, as part of Abu Dhabi's broader 5-gigawatt mega-campus plan.
Al Olama said the 5-gigawatt mega-campus plan is still being finalized, but investments are in place. As long as partners collaborate and the UAE can secure needed resources at the right time, the country is confident in achieving it.
He further explained that the plan is not pie-in-the-sky — capacity will scale in sync with demand. Based on current plans, 5 gigawatts is the target, with potential increases as needed.
AI Benefits Already Emerging
The minister noted that using AI tools in energy production has already helped the UAE save about 500 million dirhams (~$136 million), underscoring the importance of ramping up investment in this area.
UAE companies, especially in energy, are increasingly applying AI to control costs and improve efficiency. For example, ADNOC Distribution — the retail arm of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) — has been developing cutting-edge AI tools as a core strategy to further enhance performance.
As the UAE accelerates its AI strategy, this token plan aims to strengthen the country's international competitiveness in technology, securing a central global position in the intelligent economy era.