Abu Dhabi and South Korean Parties Sign Seven MOUs, Seek Partners for Planned Large Data Centers

At the Abu Dhabi Investment Forum Seoul 2026 in Seoul, parties from Abu Dhabi and South Korea signed seven MOUs on 16 September, alongside discussions on collaboration in AI and data-center infrastructure.

Abu Dhabi stated that large data centers are needed to support AI development and is seeking Korean companies interested in joint data-center and AI projects. The potential cooperation is not limited to Abu Dhabi: Africa, the Middle East and Europe were also identified as regions under consideration for joint activity.

The forum brought together more than 88 public- and private-sector organisations from the UAE, with Korean public bodies and companies also participating. Named participants included Abu Dhabi Investment Office, Abu Dhabi Global Market, Etihad Airways, Emirates Global Aluminium, Hanwha Life, Hanwha Asset Management, Daewoo Engineering & Construction, Kakao Mobility, Kakao Games, Hashed, ATU Partners and LODD Autonomous.

For infrastructure investors, operators and suppliers, the initiative could broaden the pool of potential cross-border capital, technology partners and contractors for AI infrastructure in Abu Dhabi and associated markets. However, the MOUs remain framework agreements and partner-search activity. They do not establish a specific data-center development or confirm capacity additions to the market.