Middle East AI investment pullback could threaten data centres, Jack Selby warns

5 articles · Updated · CNBC · Apr 30

Selby said Middle East investors provide about a quarter of global AI commitments over five years, with UAE and Saudi funds crucial to projects including OpenAI's UAE campus.
He said a prolonged Iran war could redirect capital to domestic rebuilding, risking cancellations of regional and global data-centre projects and hitting public and private tech companies.
Selby also warned AI shows bubble-like excess, with hyperscalers set to spend more than $700bn this year and eventual losses potentially reaching tens or hundreds of billions.

Could a sudden Middle East capital pullback trigger a global AI crash, or is the sector resilient enough to withstand such a shock?

With AI data centers now military targets, how can tech companies safeguard critical infrastructure in volatile regions?