South Korea and UAE Forge Strategic AI Infrastructure and Semiconductor Alliance
May 13, 2026
South Korea and UAE Forge Strategic AI Infrastructure and Semiconductor Alliance
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates are accelerating efforts to build a strategic partnership in artificial intelligence infrastructure and semiconductors, marking a significant step in cross-regional technology cooperation. Government officials and business leaders from both nations convened Wednesday in Seoul for the South Korea-UAE AI Infrastructure and Semiconductor Investment Forum, a high-level event aimed at converting diplomatic dialogue into tangible investment and business projects.
The forum was jointly hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology, and the Presidential Committee on National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. It followed the establishment of a bilateral AI cooperation working group launched during a UAE state visit to South Korea in November, underscoring the growing momentum behind the alliance. Officials stated that the meeting was designed to transform previous discussions on AI infrastructure, models, and services into concrete investment and commercial ventures.
A 25-member UAE delegation traveled to Seoul for the event, including Mohammed Abdulrahman Alhawi, undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Investment; representatives from state-backed AI company Core42; investment firm MGX; research agencies such as the Advanced Technology Research Council and the Technology Innovation Institute; as well as Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. UAE Ambassador to South Korea Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi also attended, highlighting the diplomatic weight of the discussions.
During the forum, officials explored cooperation across the entire AI ecosystem, focusing on low-power, high-efficiency infrastructure based on neural processing units, the development of language-specific AI models, and expanded testing of AI services in industrial settings. A key area of discussion involved combining UAE investment in large-scale AI data centers with South Korea’s strengths in semiconductor manufacturing and data center operations. The potential participation of South Korean companies in the UAE’s Stargate AI data center campus project was also on the agenda.
In the afternoon session, South Korean AI semiconductor, data center, and AI solution companies presented their business models and held one-on-one consultations with UAE officials and investors. The South Korean government stated its aim to link the forum to follow-up investment and demonstration projects, signaling a long-term commitment to deepening ties.
“AI competitiveness comes from an ecosystem in which semiconductors, data centers, models and services are organically connected,” said Ryu Je-myung, second vice minister of science and information and communications technology. “We will build practical cooperation models by combining South Korea’s technology with the UAE’s investment capacity.” Kim Sung-yeol, deputy minister for industrial growth at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, added that AI competitiveness depends on both infrastructure construction and industrial application. “We will combine the strengths of both countries and expand cooperation into the global market,” Kim said.
Alhawi noted that bilateral cooperation has accelerated since the UAE announced a $30 billion investment commitment to South Korea in 2023. “We will expand cooperation across the entire AI value chain,” he said. Industry observers view the forum as a potential test case linking Middle East expansion by South Korean AI semiconductor companies with increased UAE capital investment in South Korea’s AI infrastructure, setting the stage for deeper cross-border collaboration in the rapidly evolving AI sector.
Source: upi
