Data Center Nation Dubai – A Unique Regional Event
Data Center Nation Dubai 2024 is the only conference, networking and exhibition event serving the digital infrastructure ecosystem from across the entire Middle East region.?
It has been designed to reflect the rapid growth in infrastructure development underpinning the digitalisation of economies from Oman to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Jordan, and Egypt.??
Data Center Nation is the hub for all supply side players to engage with the market. It is a platform for every type of local and international enterprise data center user to connect with, explore and evaluate the latest technologies across the entire supply chain and to discuss the issues and advances that are directing future demand and investment.??
As digital investment, construction and operation is set to transform every economy across the region the conference will cover market drivers, opportunities, tax, regulations and every aspect of operations from design and build to equipment sourcing to sustainability. ?
Demand across the region is being fuelled by the increasing adoption of cloud computing, big data analytics, AI (Dubai has plans to become a regional and global AI superpower) and the Internet of Things (IoT). The market has witnessed substantial growth, with global commercial data center operators establishing their regional presence in the country.??
Data Center Nation Dubai 2024 supports the full data center value chain.??
Regional Outlook - Set for Growth?
The Middle East data centre construction market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.59% between 2022 and 2028. ?
The UAE is one of the main contributors to this capacity growth as the country strives to double the contribution of the digital economy to the UAE’s GDP by 2032.?
The Emirate’s digital economy is expected to grow to more than $140 billion in 2031, up from today’s $38 billion, according to a report by Dubai’s Chamber of Digital Economy.?
Dubai has experienced a rapid digital development and announced numerous ambitious infrastructure projects as it set out to become a major data center market within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the wider Middle East region. The country is far advanced in attracting colocation, enterprise, and hyperscale data center players.??
Dubai is a major global business and technology destination which has recently seen a significant increase in demand for data centre services.??
Dubai's geographic location plays a vital role in its emergence as a data centre hub. Situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, it serves as a gateway between these regions, attracting multinational companies looking to establish their data centre operations in the Middle East.?
The UAE government has invested heavily in infrastructure development to support the market. Dubai benefits from advanced telecommunications infrastructure, reliable power supply, and robust connectivity to global networks. Free zones such as Dubai Internet City and Dubai Silicon Oasis provide favourable regulatory frameworks and incentives for data centre companies.?
There are over 40 Free Zones in Dubai which are geographic areas that allow 100% foreign business ownership, import and export tax exemptions and simple visas. https://www.moec.gov.ae/en/free-zones ?
In 2022 the UAE last year announced it would levy a nine per cent corporate tax rate on companies with a profit of Dh375,000 and above. The corporate tax will be one of the lowest in the world at 9% and came into effect 1st June 2023.?
Additional incentives include: 100,000 golden visas allowing entry for 10 years; For homegrown talent - the National Small Business programme - aims to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs by launching supportive programs to promote sustainable economic development in the UAE and accelerate its steps towards transitioning to a knowledge economy.?
International data centre providers have already established a presence in Dubai. These include companies such as Equinix EMEA , stc , and e& UAE which have built data centre facilities to cater the growing demand for colocation, cloud services, and managed hosting solutions.?
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Alongside international players, local data centre providers have also emerged in Dubai. datamena and Khazna Data Centers both offer a range of services to meet the diverse needs of businesses in the region.?
Moro Hub , a Dubai data center operator, has opened the world’s largest solar-powered data center by space. The data centre has a capacity exceeding 100 megawatts, and spans more than 16,000 square metres located at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world.??
In telecoms du : Telecoms / Data Centre Du partnered with DIEZ and DERQ to power Dubai Silicon Oasis with cutting-edge capabilities and smart city solutions.
Separately Omantel and Du announced Oman Emirates Gateway subsea cable between Equinix MC1 in Barka, Oman, and Datamena DX1 in Dubai, UAE. Both international data centers will be connected through the OEG, with Equinix MC1 in Barka, Oman, and Datamena DX1 in Dubai, UAE.?
Dubai is investing heavily in becoming an AI compute hub through the Government backed Technology Innovation Institute.??
Saudi Arabia is a rapidly advancing data center market. For example, among many projects the country has plans for a 300MW data centre complex valued in excess of US$2bn to be delivered in six 50MW data centre facilities located in Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah and #Neom. ?
The plan will see the building of 60MW of data centre capacity every year until 2026 with the first in King Salman Energy Park. The development is led QST – a Saudi joint venture between UK data center firm Quantum Switch and infrastructure investor Tamasuk .??
Dubai-based Edgnex Data Centers by DAMAC group said it is to spend US$600 million on expanding its data centres in Riyadh and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, before the end of 2023. The business, formerly known as Edgnex, said the investment is part of a $1 billion data centre development plan across the region.?
In 2023 甲骨文 , which has a partnership with Neom, said it would invest $1.5bn in data centers and cloud regions in the kingdom?
微软 said it will launch a new cloud data center region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Samer Abu-Ltaif, corporate vice president and president, Microsoft Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, said, “the new data center region will provide organizations, enterprises, and developers in the Kingdom and around the world with access to scalable, highly available, and resilient cloud services while addressing their data residency, security, privacy, and compliance needs.”?
Last year Alibaba Cloud Global announced plans to open two data centers in Riyadh run in partnership with Saudi Arabia Telecom Systems in a joint venture called sccc .?
In Egypt Khazna Data Centers announced plans for a US$250m data center to be built at the Maadi Technology Park, a special investment zone. The company is joining forces with Benya Group.??
Elsewhere ELSEWEDY DIGITAL Data Centers & Gulf Data Hub are to modernise Africa's largest data center in Egypt. The joint project aims at creating a USD 2.1 billion data center hub, through developing three 3 complexes split between 3 different locations across the country. The initial power capacity of 192MW will expand to a total power load of 300MW in 5-7 years. ?
?In telecoms e& Egypt signed a financing agreement worth EGP 4 billion (US$132 million) with the Commercial Bank International (CIB), a move to expand digital services and upgrade infrastructure.?
Conclusion?
The Middle East is set to see a true data center market boom. By focusing on the needs of the different stakeholders in the sector Data Center Nation Dubai 2024 will provide unrivalled breadth and depth of market engagement for every type of stakeholder.??
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