Rep. Khanna (D-Calif) expressed his concerns on Sunday regarding the Trump administration’s agreement with the United Arab Emirates to establish a large artificial intelligence (AI) data center in Dubai, urging the president to consider creating such a hub in the United States instead.
In a discussion on ABC News “This Week,” lawmakers from Silicon Valley raised questions about how the UAE deal aligns with the president’s “America-first” stance.
“I’m not comfortable with the idea of the largest AI center being in Dubai,” Khanna remarked when addressing the president’s recent visit to the region.
“What about the whole ‘America first’ idea? I’d prefer to see that center in Pennsylvania or Ohio. Western Pennsylvania could particularly benefit; there’s an opportunity for job creation there,” he continued.
“Sure, I appreciate cooperation with my Middle Eastern allies, but my focus should really be on advancing new technology here in the US,” Khanna added.
During Trump’s trip to the UAE, the planned AI campus was revealed, which will have a capacity of 5 gigawatts and will eventually span over 10 square miles, as announced by the Commerce Department on Thursday.
The data centers at Qasr al Watan will act as a regional base for American hyperscalers, which are companies specializing in cloud computing and data management. These centers are expected to provide low-latency services to nearly half of the global population within 2,000 miles of the UAE, according to the Commerce Department.
“In the UAE, American enterprises are running data centers and delivering US-controlled cloud services throughout the region,” stated Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in a Thursday announcement. “This agreement signifies a key step toward actualizing President Trump’s vision for maintaining US leadership in AI technology.”
