ASUS is empowering the region with trusted, future-ready AI infrastructure

As sovereign AI becomes the driving force for nations and organisations, especially in the Middle East, there’s an increasing emphasis on developing independent AI capabilities and expertise to ensure national security and economic competitiveness. Countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia are leading the way with clearly defined policies and strong government funding. In a recent study by a US data centre company, the UAE and Saudi Arabia were ranked second and third respectively after the US in terms of national AI supercomputing power and government readiness.

Plans are afoot in the UAE to establish an integrated AI ecosystem, with the country building a 5-gigawatt AI data centre campus in Abu Dhabi, expected to be the largest AI infrastructure project outside the US. The campus will be home to its Stargate project too, a collaboration with OpenAI to create a 1-gigawatt sovereign AI supercomputing cluster.

“The UAE’s leadership has been truly visionary,” says Paul Ju, Senior Vice-President of ASUS. “The country has created an environment where technology, innovation, and industry come together to build the foundations for AI.”

ASUS: Powering the future of AI in the Middle East

With its track record in building AI infrastructure solutions and long-standing partnerships with leading tech innovators, Ju believes ASUS is well positioned to support the UAE and region in its ambition of becoming leaders in AI supercomputing.

Global expertise, local impact

“We call ourselves an Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) because we provide 360-degree solutions to our customers,” he says. A standout example is Taiwania II – Taiwan’s national supercomputing program. and its latest high performance computing system, Forerunner 1 . “We helped the Taiwan government build the supercomputing system from the ground up, from setting up power, the distribution of the coolant, to computing, setting up the software stack, We then handed over the solution to the government.

ASUS plans to tap into this experience not only in Taiwan but also in the US, Japan and other countries to bring together all the puzzle pieces to build AI infrastructure solutions in the region.

Breakthroughs in the Middle East

In fact, the company has already achieved major breakthroughs here in the Middle East.

“We’re working closely with large sovereign AI entities and major research centres in the region,” he explains. “These projects are more than just about technology. They’re about giving countries the ability to build and control their own AI platforms. It’s about sovereignty, trust, and long-term innovation.”

These collaborations are fuelling progress in generative AI, large language models, and advanced scientific research — all powered by next-generation GPU clusters and sustainable data centre solutions.

A global AI ecosystem

In order to develop and deploy comprehensive and future-proof AI infrastructure solutions integrating cutting-edge hardware and software, collaboration with global leaders across computing, storage and networking is crucial, he emphasizes. “We cannot do it alone. We need a partner to provide the coolant. We need the greatest support from Nvidia - they have a very mature AI stack that uses CUDA”.

This ecosystem of partners, which also includes Weka, Micron, Schneider, Foxlink, and DDN, enables ASUS to deliver powerful, scalable and sustainable solutions using advanced technologies.

Turning regional insight into impact

Regional players are also an integral part of this ecosystem, adds Senic Chiu, Regional Director, Middle East and Africa, ASUS.

“Their understanding of the needs of the customers in the region and their connections provide valuable input to a global company like us,” he explains. “These collaborations enhance our ability to support enterprise and government projects with solutions optimised for regional requirements, ensuring efficiency, scalability, and seamless deployment.”

Increasing AI interest across key sectors

Although governments lead in AI innovations in the region, data security, operational efficiency, competitiveness and the need for large-scale computing are encouraging diverse industries to invest in the field.

“In the private sector, we see a lot of interest from academics because they not only need very strong computing power but also AI for diversified research purposes, be it cryptocurrency, climate change, space or quantum computing,” says Chiu. “On the other hand, we see a lot of use cases in the banking and fintech sector where AI is deployed to make transactions more secure, prevent fraud and enhance cybersecurity.”

Whether powering AI research, setting up national data centres, or building smart cities or medical applications, ASUS has demonstrated its capability across industries and regions, he says. It has built up a reputation for delivering high-performance, reliable, and secure computing solutions for mission-critical environments by combining deep engineering expertise with rigorous quality assurance.

From innovations in hardware to offering 360-degreen AI infrastructure solutions, ASUS has established itself as a credible and reliable long-term technology partner for countries and organisations.

Drawing on the experience of delivering solutions to consumers and commercial businesses in the region for more than two decades, ASUS’s aim is to further understand the pain points of partners and customers here to evolve its AI capabilities to meet specific regional needs, says Chiu.

ASUS sees the Middle East not only as a growth market but as a global hub for AI innovation. With its mix of global expertise, regional collaborations, and alignment with the UAE’s national AI vision, the company is confident about playing a significant role in making supercomputing power accessible, scalable and sustainable for governments and organisations, helping them unlock security and innovation.