By Asiimwe Angel
In March 2025, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund ADQ partnered with U.S.-based Energy Capital Partners (ECP) to form a 50-50 joint venture committing more than $25 billion to new power generation and energy infrastructure projects in the United States.
The initiative focuses on delivering up to 25 gigawatts (GW) of capacity through greenfield developments, new builds, and expansions, directly addressing the surging electricity demands of data centers, hyperscale cloud providers, and AI-driven industries.
An initial combined commitment of around $5 billion from ADQ and ECP is set to launch the effort, with projects phased in over time—the first potentially operational within three years. The partnership emphasizes “additionality”—creating new power sources rather than upgrades—to meet the unprecedented energy needs of AI training and cloud computing, where U.S. electricity demand has shifted from decades of flat growth to sharp upward projections.
This deal was announced on March 19, 2025, just as UAE National Security Adviser and ADQ Chairman HH Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Washington, D.C.
Sheikh Tahnoon met President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, followed by a White House dinner attended by high-level U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance.
These engagements directly preceded the White House’s announcement on March 21, 2025, of the UAE’s 10-year, $1.4 trillion investment framework in the United States.
The framework spans AI infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, manufacturing, quantum computing, biotechnology, and more, with the ADQ-ECP partnership highlighted as a flagship component.
The initiative builds on strong U.S.-UAE ties and accelerates under the Trump administration. In May 2025, President Trump visited the UAE, securing additional deals and reinforcing the framework’s momentum. As of January 2026, these commitments remain active and central to bilateral economic cooperation.
Data centers powering AI are among the most power-intensive facilities ever built. Traditional utilities struggle to scale quickly enough, creating opportunities for private and sovereign capital to step in with dedicated solutions. The ADQ-ECP venture positions Gulf investment as a key enabler of U.S. tech leadership while recycling petrodollars into high-growth sectors, supporting American jobs, innovation, and energy security.
ADQ, overseeing assets across energy, infrastructure, technology, and more, continues to expand its global footprint in future-critical industries. The partnership underscores how strategic alliances are addressing one of AI’s biggest bottlenecks: reliable, scalable power.
This collaboration has sparked discussions on foreign investment in U.S. strategic infrastructure, but it also exemplifies mutual benefits in a rapidly evolving global economy.
