Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani's planned $20 billion investment in US data centres deepens ties he established with president-elect Donald Trump nearly a decade ago, and marks a return to one of the hallmarks of the Republican's first term in office.
The promised investment is the latest drawn from the relationships Mr Trump has developed in the Arabian Gulf region, both through his business interests and as US president.
Speaking alongside his close friend and business partner Mr Sajwani, during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, Mr Trump said the deal would “keep the US on the cutting edge of technology”.
Damac said it would deliver data centres, aiming for capacity of 2 gigawatts over the next four years. The first phase will focus on eight US states in the Sunbelt and Midwest regions, which would acquire land banks, existing data centres and other platforms. Damac said this would represent capacity of about 500MW, which the company said would meet growing current demand as Edgnex continues to scale.
Damac and Mr Trump said the $20 billion investment would probably only be the floor, and the president-elect even suggested the group could double that commitment. Mr Sajwani said he could invest more under the right market conditions.
The investment represents a shift in strategy for Damac Group. The Dubai-based conglomerate has its roots as a luxury property developer and is also planning a condominium project in Miami designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.
Mohammed Soliman, a global strategy adviser at McLarty Associates, said the UAE billionaire's pivot to technology mirrors a wider trend from investors.
“Mr Sajwani, like many others, views the US market as the most lucrative destination for tech investments, particularly in data centres that support artificial intelligence, cloud, and other emerging technologies,” he said.
Ian Byrne, associate vice president at Beacon Global Strategies in Washington, sees the investment as less of a pivot and more of a complementary move.
“At the end of the day, data centres are a real estate investment”, My Byrne said, as companies purchase large buildings which house IT infrastructure needed to support them. Private US equity firms including BlackRock and KKR are also pouring in billions of dollars to build these facilities.
The investment highlights the US's growing influence in artificial intelligence as it seeks to establish dominance in advanced technologies.
“The US is just the centre of the AI universe. If you're an investor with capital and you want good ROI, or you're looking to invest in the AI sector, you're going to go to the US,” Mr Byrne said.
Mr Soliman agreed: “The US economic size and growth make its market highly attractive, and its leadership in sectors like AI … presents significant potential for lucrative returns.”
Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced Arizona would host the third research and development flagship complex under the US Chips Act. The centre will develop semi-conductors used to power artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
While the Damac investment signifies the latest milestone between the US and UAE in advanced technology, it is also a testament to the security, defence and economic relationship the nations have, Mr Byrne said.
“With the explicit purpose of investment in data centres and AI infrastructure, I think that just builds off the already existing, strong relationship that the US and the UAE have been building when it comes to AI and emerging technologies.”
Elon Musk partnership
Mr Sajwani is investing in the technology field because there is a widespread expectation that the sector will benefit the most from Trump administration policies, according to Ryan Bohl, senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at US-based Rane Network.
"Elon Musk and other tech leaders ... are showing that they are going to be very co-operative with the Trump administration ... to propel the boom that's currently fuelled by largely AI,” Mr Bohl said.
Middle East investors are also expected to invest in EVs as well as in the automotive industry, space, defence and cryptos amid new opportunities under Mr Trump's presidency.
Middle East investors including Abu Dhabi-listed companies International Holding Company and Alpha Dhabi have snapped up stakes in aerospace company SpaceX, founded by Mr Musk. The two companies announced a combined $50 million investment in 2022.
The UAE's Mubadala Investment Company is also heavily investing in the US, its latest deal being to acquire a minority stake in healthcare technology company Zelis.
Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, also has interests in US companies including Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Alphabet.
“When they're looking for productive places to spend their money, the United States will probably be one of the best economies to do at least in the near term,” Mr Bohl said.
"The US is probably one of the safest destinations, not just from an investment standpoint, but also geopolitically, thinking about the security threats that exist for other countries, like even in Europe, where cables are being cut and they're sabotaged, that's very unlikely to happen in the United States."
Trump-Gulf ties
The new announcement also deepens the ties between the Emirati billionaire and the US leader and veteran businessman, and marks a return to one of the hallmarks of the Republican's first terms in office: mixing his business interests with US interests.
Mr Sajwani first teamed up with Mr Trump in 2013 to build a Trump-branded golf course. It opened in 2017 as the centrepiece of Damac Hills, a gated community of luxury homes located in Dubai.
Two of Mr Trump's adult sons – Eric and Donald Jr – also attended the wedding of Mr Sajwani's daughter in 2018. The Emirati businessman was also a regular presence at Mar-a-Lago during Mr Trump's first term, US media reported. Last week, he posted a picture on X of himself with the president-elect and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk during a New Year's Eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago.
But the investment also signalled a continuation of the ties Mr Trump has to the Gulf as both a businessman and politician. He has numerous projects in the region and chose Saudi Arabia as his first official visit as president in 2017.
The Trump Organisation, owned by Mr Trump, is also teaming up with London-listed Dar Global to develop new projects in Oman, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. It aims to further expand in the region with new projects, its executive vice president Eric Trump told The National last month.
“What we're seeing right now is just a continuation of those strong ties,” Mr Byrne said.
Mr Sajwani's investment, as well as that made by SoftBank last month, signal what could be a shift in foreign investments in the US following Mr Trump's election. The president-elect campaigned to usher in a new era of deregulation and create a more business-friendly environment. Mr Trump claimed the investments were only made because of his 2024 electoral victory.
Mr Trump also said he would grant Damac “expedited reviews” of environmental probes, which the president-elect promised to any company planning to invest $1 billion in the US.
“For the last four years, we've been waiting for this moment,” Mr Sajwani said alongside Mr Trump in Palm Beach, Florida.
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
Usain Bolt's World Championships record
2007 Osaka
200m Silver
4x100m relay Silver
2009 Berlin
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2011 Daegu
100m Disqualified in final for false start
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
The%20specs%20
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The five pillars of Islam
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Overall head-to-head
Federer 6-1 Cilic
Head-to-head at Wimbledon
Federer 1-0 Cilic
Grand Slams titles
Federer 18-1 Cilic
Best Wimbledon performance
Federer: Winner (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012)
Cilic: Final (2017*)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The years Ramadan fell in May
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
The specs: 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Price, base: Dh198,300
Engine: 2.0L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 280hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7L / 100km
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Company%C2%A0profile
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
GOODBYE%20JULIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohamed%20Kordofani%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiran%20Riak%2C%20Eiman%20Yousif%2C%20Nazar%20Goma%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
