South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have formally agreed to deepen their cooperation in artificial intelligence, marking a major step toward building a joint AI innovation hub. The deal was negotiated during a recent summit between the two nations, where leaders emphasized collaboration across AI, renewable energy, and advanced industries.
At the heart of this partnership is South Korea’s entry into the UAE’s massive Stargate initiative — a multibillion-dollar effort to build a world-class AI data center campus in Abu Dhabi. South Korea’s strengths in memory chips and infrastructure are expected to play a key role in the project’s development.
To operationalize the cooperation, the two countries are launching a dedicated AI task force. This body will include public and private stakeholders and is tasked with identifying concrete AI investment projects, coordinating R&D efforts, and setting up governance structures for shared infrastructure.
Beyond infrastructure, the deal extends to fostering startup ecosystems and technology exchanges. For example, the Korean IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) and Dubai’s business district DMCC signed an MoU to support AI startups, offering Korean companies access to capital, market entry, and strategic guidance through the UAE’s innovation hubs.
