South Korea said it will help build computing power and energy infrastructure for the world’s largest set of AI data centres outside the United States, after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had a summit with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

South Korea, home to chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, aims to become a regional AI hub after President Lee, who took office on June 4, prioritised AI investment to spur growth at a time when US tariffs have clouded the broader economic outlook.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in October signed initial agreements to supply memory chips for OpenAI’s Stargate data centres.

South Korea will also help build a power grid using nuclear power, gas and renewable energy for the Stargate project, Ha Jung-woo, the presidential secretary on AI, said at a briefing.

Under a strategic framework agreement signed on Tuesday, the two countries will deepen cooperation in the field of AI, including AI investment and infrastructure, AI supply chains and AI research and development.

Stargate UAE is part of a deal brokered by US President Donald Trump despite previous US restrictions on sending advanced technology to the UAE because of its close ties to China.

The first phase of that project will be the 1-gigawatt Stargate UAE project, built by state-backed UAE firm G42 in partnership with US firms OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia and Cisco Systems, as well as Japan’s SoftBank Group.