Mubbadrah gives more detail on its planned $3B 400MW AI data center

Mubbadrah has given more detail on its planned $3 billion, 400MW AI data center in Salalah. Yasser Al Barami, chief executive of Mubbadrah Investment, said on 26 October 2026 that the planned investment would cover buildings, electricity infrastructure, cooling systems and network connections, while customers would typically provide their own servers and specialized computing chips. The update follows the signing of a framework agreement in London. Mubbadrah Investment is leading a consortium that also includes Sustopia Capital, Vela Tech and O2 Global Energy. The planned complex is designed for international cloud computing and AI operators, with capacity targeted at up to 400MW and scope for future expansion. The facility would combine grid electricity with renewable energy and battery storage. O2 Global Energy is to develop 400MW of solar generation with battery storage to support continuous power. The announcement was made during the state visit of Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the United Kingdom. Al Barami identified Salalah’s submarine cable connectivity, port, airport, free zone and renewable energy potential as advantages for attracting international technology companies. He said the number of jobs would be determined as studies and implementation plans for each development phase are completed. Mubbadrah Investment is an Omani group with a portfolio of more than 20 companies across oil and gas, hospitality, healthcare and other sectors. Sustopia Capital and Vela Tech are currently developing, designing and constructing about 20GW of AI data centre capacity around the world. The signing ceremony in London was attended by Nasser bin Khamis Al Jashmi, chairman of the Oman Tax Authority, and the UK ambassador to Oman. Mubbadrah has not published a final site within Salalah, a construction timeline or a signed offtake agreement. Those details would show when capacity becomes available and who has committed to take it. US AI infrastructure company Crusoe has expressed interest in taking capacity, but no contract has been signed. The consortium expects to sign a confirmation of that interest in the coming weeks. The company has not published the share of the $3 billion that will be equity versus debt or the portion allocated to power and cooling versus buildings and networks. Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology has previously set a national ambition of up to 500MW of AI data center capacity. For hyperscale operators the practical change is a planned 400MW campus in Salalah where the developer provides power, cooling and connectivity and the customer brings its own servers and chips. The value depends on whether the power mix can deliver continuous supply at competitive cost and whether offtake agreements are signed. The project is separate from the Yamna Salalah Al Khadra Digital data center announced during the same period. Mubbadrah has not published a comparison of expected power price or connectivity latency with other Gulf AI campus projects. The $3 billion covers core infrastructure; customers supply the specialized computing equipment. Other Gulf countries have also announced large AI data center plans. Mubbadrah pairs a $3 billion infrastructure commitment with customer-supplied compute and 400MW of dedicated solar plus storage. The consortium has not published a comparison of its expected power density or cooling design with those of other announced regional campuses or the number of operators that have signed letters of intent. UK Export Finance has indicated increased financing capacity for exports to Oman. The announcement does not list the power purchase or grid connection agreements already in place or the expected power usage effectiveness of the facility. Those details would show the operational readiness of the power and cooling systems. Without them the project remains a description of planned capacity and investment scope rather than a measured construction program. Mubbadrah has not published the expected capital expenditure per megawatt. If Mubbadrah publishes a final site, a construction start date, a signed offtake agreement and the first phase capacity, the project has a measurable follow-through. If the next update is only a restatement of the $3 billion and 400MW figures, the change for the market remains the same as the initial announcement. The figures missing are site, timeline and offtake.