The MENA region faces a defining infrastructure challenge. As the world’s most water-stressed region, it is simultaneously positioning itself as a global artificial intelligence (AI) leader. Some forecasts suggest that GCC datacentres will need 426 billion litres of water a year by 2030, which is a significant requirement in a region that contains 16 of the world’s 20 most water-stressed countries.
Although digital transformation has been prioritised by both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and by Qatar, AI infrastructure requirements are intersecting directly with constrained water supplies.
With 25 years of experience as a telecommunications infrastructure services expert, Ahmed Abdellatif has built and grown telco and connected technologies in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia markets. His past experience includes senior management roles with global service providers, where he has worked at the intersection of network engineering, capital deployment and the development of government policy for the regions in which they operate.
Abdellatif advises governments, service providers and investors on transportation infrastructure, including the development of AI-ready infrastructure, wholesale hyperscale datacentres and next-generation connectivity platforms. He also focuses on the intersection of policy, regulation and capital at the regional level, which impacts technology choices.
Abdellatif advocates for a strategic approach to planning and developing AI infrastructure as a multi-layered ecosystem, where the foundational layers of the AI infrastructure stack (power and datacentre infrastructure) receive the bulk of capital and strategic development, ensuring the viability of the higher layers (models and apps).
Drawing parallels with earlier technology cycles, he cautioned against building digital ecosystems from the application layer down, particularly in emerging markets. “The challenge is not the absence of energy resources, but the lack of cohesive operational frameworks that align infrastructure planning with real-world constraints,” he said.
“Although water availability is frequently cited as a restricting condition of datacentres expanding, the availability of power and the instability of workloads are the more impactful limitations to expansion, particularly because the nature of AI workloads creates levels of unpredictability that have not been integrated into traditional models of energy consumption.”
He highlighted Gulf-based markets as “examples of where a more structured approach can be observed, and infrastructure strategies continue to be demonstrated to include all AI stack layers with greater long-term alignment”.
The water footprint extends beyond direct cooling. On the one hand, roughly 60% of datacentre water consumption relates to electricity generation rather than the facility’s cooling.
Water consumption in the industry is already estimated to exceed 560 billion litres globally per year, and could grow to nearly 1.2 trillion litres by 2030, according to International Energy Agency estimates cited in a recent UK government analysis.
The MENA region faces a continuous set of challenges regarding water availability, and how they might affect its economies and overall growth potential. For example, by 2050, per capita water availability is expected to be reduced by approximately 50%, according to the Middle East and North Africa Regional Water Outlook.
Additionally, many of the GCC countries are already heavily reliant on desalinated water for drinking. Water produced by desalination represents approximately 90% of total drinking water in Kuwait, 70% in Saudi Arabia, 86% in Oman and 42% in the UAE, according to regional assessments of Gulf desalination published by the Arab Centre, Washington DC and related policy analysis.
At the same time, the Humain initiative by Saudi Arabia serves as a proper demonstration of that intent. The upcoming datacentres (100MW) to be set up in Riyadh and Dammam are expected to become operational by 2026. In addition to supporting the essential uses of agriculture, municipal supply and industry, there needs to be an effective allocation of resources to coordinate competing demands for those resources.
Using liquid-cooling technology instead of conventional air-cooling systems will cut your direct use by 90% to 98%. With closed-loop designs, datacentres can recycle water over multiple years of operation while ensuring the system remains efficient. Microsoft has demonstrated that these applications are feasible through its deployments worldwide.
These installations will demonstrate that you can achieve efficiency gains at a large scale. Renewable energy integration addresses both direct and indirect footprints. The Gulf’s solar resources can power advanced cooling systems while reducing reliance on water-intensive electricity generation. Coupling solar infrastructure with liquid cooling creates compounding efficiency gains.
Regional data optimisation adds measurable benefit
Infrastructure designed for MENA workloads, such as local-language models, agricultural analytics and logistics optimisation, reduces unnecessary global data transfers and associated resource demands.
Governments should establish efficiency standards for new datacentres, with transparent metrics for direct and indirect consumption. On the other hand, integrated sectoral planning must balance digital infrastructure with agriculture and municipal requirements. Partnerships between the public and private sector must align technology deployments with national sustainability objectives.
The return on outcome of this collaboration with regional universities must yield cooling innovations suited to local climate conditions and operational parameters. These measures extend the Gulf’s proven capacity for strategic infrastructure development. The region has repeatedly redefined global standards from logistics hubs to urban innovation.
Water-efficient AI infrastructure, on the other hand, offers comparable leverage. To reach success is easier said than done, and creating exportable models for constrained economies attracts sustainable investment and establishes international benchmarks. The region’s resource foundation positions it uniquely for this leadership.
