Dubai-based digital infrastructure firm EDGNEX Data Centres, a subsidiary of Damac, is making a $20 billion investment in data centres across the US. President-elect Donald Trump announced the investment by the Emirati company, which is led by billionaire Hussain Sajwani, a close business partner of the Trump family. The move aims to expand the US […]
Dubai-based digital infrastructure firm EDGNEX Data Centres, a subsidiary of Damac, is making a $20 billion investment in data centres across the US.
President-elect Donald Trump announced the investment by the Emirati company, which is led by billionaire Hussain Sajwani, a close business partner of the Trump family.
The move aims to expand the US digital infrastructure with a focus on data centres, targeting a 2,000-megawatt (MW) capacity over the next four years.
Damac has indicated potential plans to double this investment depending on future demand, market opportunities, and scalability.
The expansion will cover states including Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Midwest states Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana.
The firm is initially looking to acquire land banks in conjunction with utilities and to acquire existing data centres and platforms.
“This is an extremely exciting moment for us. Our foray into the US market in data centres represents a significant milestone in our journey to build a global digital infrastructure platform that will empower businesses today,” said Sajwani.
“The investment will support massive new data centres across the Midwest, the sunbelt area, and also to keep America on the cutting edge of technology and artificial intelligence,” said the President-elect in his announcement.
Sajwani said that he had been waiting for a Republican win before publicly committing to such an investment.
The two billionaires have close ties. Damac owns the only Trump-branded golf course in the Middle East, based in Dubai and opened in 2017, and, according to Reuters, Sajwani also celebrated the New Year with Trump in Florida.
AI deals
This is not the first announcement during Trump’s time as President-elect. Last month, Trump and Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son announced a $100 billion investment towards AI in the US.
Last week Microsoft president Brad Smith also revealed an $80bn investment in AI data centres, with more than half financing projects in the US.
In the announcement, he urged the incoming Administration to continue fostering US leadership in AI to support advancing ‘America’s AI leadership,’ in order to “win the essential race with China.”
Smith detailed that the firm has collaborated with a United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) sovereign AI firm, G42, to bring AI infrastructure to Kenya, and is working with American investment firm Blackrock and UAE investment firm MGX to create an international investment fund for AI infrastructure and the AI supply chain.
“The most important US public policy priority should be to ensure that the US private sector can continue to advance with the wind at its back. The United States cannot afford to slow its own private sector with heavy-handed regulations,” he said.
