Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

Residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will soon become the first in the world to receive free access to ChatGPT Plus, the premium version of OpenAI’s powerful AI chatbot, Azernews reports.

This move is part of a wide-reaching strategic partnership between OpenAI and the UAE government, which goes far beyond free subscriptions. It reflects the UAE’s growing ambition to establish itself as a global hub for artificial intelligence innovation.

At the heart of the initiative is Stargate UAE, a state-of-the-art data processing center currently under construction in Abu Dhabi. Designed to host one of the world's most powerful AI computing clusters, the facility will eventually require gigawatt-scale power. The first phase, delivering 200 megawatts of capacity, is expected to go live by next year.

This advanced infrastructure will support high-performance AI training and deployment, providing OpenAI with vital compute resources while positioning the UAE at the center of the next wave of global AI development.

"This partnership signals the serious ambitions of both sides," said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. “The UAE is aiming to become a leader in the AI race, and OpenAI is gaining a powerful, strategically located base to expand its capabilities."

Currently, a ChatGPT Plus subscription costs $20 per month, but UAE residents will soon access these enhanced features — including faster response times, priority access to new features, and GPT-4 — completely free of charge.

The Stargate UAE project is part of the broader “OpenAI for Countries” initiative, which aims to build infrastructure and deploy AI tools globally in collaboration with local governments. The initiative seeks to bring AI closer to people, making it more relevant to local languages, cultural norms, and privacy regulations.

The vision includes deploying AI to advance areas such as healthcare, education, clean energy, and public services — tailored to the specific needs of each nation.

OpenAI’s partners in this massive undertaking include Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, SoftBank, and G42, a leading Middle Eastern AI firm backed by Microsoft. The scale of the project reflects OpenAI’s expansion from a research-focused company to a global AI enabler.

In a show of mutual commitment, the UAE has pledged to match its domestic investment in AI with an equivalent amount in the United States. This could result in a $20 billion cross-border AI initiative, with funding and expertise flowing between the Persian Gulf and North America.

This pioneering model could serve as a blueprint for other countries looking to harness the power of AI. By combining local infrastructure development with public access to cutting-edge tools like ChatGPT Plus, and fostering bi-directional investment, the UAE is demonstrating how nations can move from passive consumers of AI to active shapers of the global AI landscape.