The Gulf wants to break free from the world’s data chokepoints

The GCC’s AI ambitions are creating a parallel infrastructure race—Gulf countries and telecom companies are trying not only to build enough computing power, but also to control the fibre and cable networks that carry the resulting data. Currently, over 90% of Europe–Asia data and telecommunications traffic flows through Egypt and the subsea cable corridors converging at the Red Sea and Suez Canal region. Today’s geopolitical instability, therefore, is making the construction of alternative routes more strategically important than ever. The UAE, Saudi and Qatar are all racing to build out these routes, with Qatari Ooredoo’s Fibre in the Gulf (FIG) system is on track to be the largest subsea cable system ever built in the GCC. Set for completion in late 2027, the $500 million system will spa