Abu Dhabi's Aleria is deploying 16,000 Nvidia Blackwell Ultra AI chips across the US and UAE

Abu Dhabi-based sovereign AI infrastructure provider Aleria is deploying up to 16,000 Nvidia Blackwell Ultra graphics processing units (GPUs) across the United States and the UAE as part of a dual-market expansion that aims to deliver nationally controlled AI computing. The programme will initially roll out 8,640 Nvidia Grace Blackwell Ultra GPUs in the US — with capacity to scale to 16,000 — supported by a purpose-built 25-megawatt data centre for secure AI workloads. In the UAE, Aleria has installed 28 racks of Nvidia DGX Vera Rubin NVL72 systems, among the first deployments of that platform in the region.

“We did not come to market with a promise. We came with working infrastructure,” said Eric Leandri, chief executive of Aleria, describing the deployment as “the next chapter of something already proven”.

Context and details

The infrastructure pairing combines Nvidia’s accelerated computing platforms with DDN’s high-performance storage architecture and is already operational in both countries. Aleria positions the integrated offering as more than standalone compute: the company provides a full AI stack that spans data management, cloud orchestration, enterprise applications and AI services, all designed to operate entirely within national jurisdictions.

• Scale and equipment: Initial US capacity of 8,640 Grace Blackwell Ultra GPUs, scaling to 16,000; 28 DGX Vera Rubin NVL72 racks deployed in the UAE.
• Facilities and power: The US deployment is backed by a 25-megawatt data centre purpose-built to host secure AI workloads.
• Partners: Nvidia supplies the accelerated computing platforms; DDN provides the high-performance storage systems underpinning the deployments.

Aleria says its sovereign AI facilities already support government agencies, national enterprises and operators of critical infrastructure. The company highlighted sectors with strict data residency and regulatory requirements — government, healthcare, financial services, energy, utilities and telecommunications — as primary markets for the offering. Rather than leasing raw hardware, Aleria’s model emphasizes an integrated, jurisdiction-confined platform intended to give customers full control over sensitive data and regulatory compliance.

Marc Domenech, Nvidia’s vice-president for Enterprise in the META and CIS region, framed the move in national terms: “Aleria’s NVIDIA-powered sovereign AI factories provide the region with efficient, full-stack computing for the AI industrial revolution.” DDN’s senior regional director for the Middle East and Africa, Ankur Arora, added that the collaboration “delivers the performance and resilience required by organisations that cannot compromise on security, reliability or data sovereignty.”

Outlook

Aleria's dual-market deployment is positioned to strengthen AI capacity in both the United States and the UAE while enabling governments and enterprises to scale AI systems they fully own and control. The expansion is intended to support the rapid adoption of AI across public services and strategic industries, while also creating high-skilled technology jobs. With initial infrastructure already operational, Aleria aims to convert rising demand for sovereign, onshore AI compute into sustained commercial momentum as deployments scale to the planned 16,000-GPU footprint in the US and continue to serve sensitive workloads in the UAE.