Discover unparalleled inspiration and potential collaborators at Capacity Middle East, where connectivity visionaries unite to unlock solutions to the industry’s biggest challenges. Immerse yourself in a dynamic convergence of key players and disruptors, delving into the cutting-edge trends propelling the digital infrastructure community forwards. This is your golden opportunity to revolutionise connectivity, harness industry trends, and amplify your influence.
The 2026 Agenda
Iraq is a market with massive potential for digital infrastructure investment, not only as a transit route but also as a growing consumer of digital services. We are seeing significant government support for new AI data centres, the national backbone network, and a comprehensive strategy to drive FTTH, along with growing private sector investment.
Iraq possesses a unique geographic advantage for connecting Europe and the Middle East. With direct fibre routes between Turkey and the GCC, Iraq is situated to provide much-needed land-based diversity of connectivity between Europe and the Middle East.
An exclusive, half-day, invitation-only workshop designed for senior executives in the digital infrastructure space.
Limited to just 40 participants, the summit ensures an intimate and interactive environment, held under Chatham House Rule to foster open and candid discussion.
Bringing together digital infra CXOs alongside select investors, hyperscalers, and industry VIPs, the summit provides a platform for sharing common challenges, exploring collaboration opportunities, and gaining peer insights that can inform conversations with investors, partners, and customers.
Now in its third year, the Digital Infra Leaders Summit offers C-suite executives a rare opportunity to connect, strategise, and prepare for the busy days ahead.
Agenda
14:00 Scene setting and introductions
14:30 Deep dive 1: Digital Infra for AI
15:40 Refreshment break
16:00 Deep dive 2: Investment & partnership models
16:50 Wrap up and actions
17:00 End of session
If you would like to request an invitation to join, please contact James Netherwood: James.Netherwood@capacityglobal.com
Peering offers reduced latency and lower IP transit costs, essential for driving improved connectivity within Iraq. With the launch of Iraq’s first neutral IXP, IRAQ-IXP, last year, it has surged to be the region’s third-largest IXP by connected networks, showing the demand for peering services in Iraq.
As AI adoption accelerates across the Middle East, the demand for high-performance computing (HPC) is reshaping the data centre landscape. This panel explores how operators, governments, and hyperscalers are responding to the infrastructure, energy, and strategic challenges of building AI-ready facilities at scale. The panel discusses:
How are regional energy strategies and sustainability goals influencing the design and operation of HPC environments?
What role do partnerships between hyperscalers, governments, and local operators play in scaling AI infrastructure across the region?
How can the Middle East position itself as a global hub for AI and HPC innovation, and what are the risks of falling behind?
How can stakeholders ensure long-term ROI while navigating rapid technological change, regulatory pressures, and geopolitical uncertainty?
Stargate UAE is the first international deployment of the AI infrastructure Stargate program, with the first 200MW of 1GW due to come online in 2026. While Stargate UAE will continue to enable domestic AI consumption it also has the potential to provide connectivity to almost half the world’s population, located within 2,000 miles.
As MENA accelerates its transition to a data-driven economy, the region’s energy strategy must evolve to meet the demands of AI infrastructure. With hyperscale campuses and GPU clusters requiring gigawatts of reliable power, outdated contracting models and grid limitations risk slowing progress—unless bold reforms and private innovation step in. The session covers:
Financing the Future of Compute: Can long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) align with hyperscaler timelines and stabilise costs for operators and investors?
Unlocking Utility Partnerships: What incentives and reforms are needed to enable multi-decade capacity commitments from national utilities?
Private Generation at Scale: How are operators deploying onsite energy—from solar-plus-storage to modular gas microgrids—to ensure resilience and control?
Case Study: NEOM & HumAIn: What lessons can be drawn from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign AI strategy and its integrated approach to digital infrastructure and energy planning?
The demands of AI are pushing the traditional model of data centre design. Flexibility and scalability are vital to meeting the increasing demands from advanced workloads and the unprecedented demand for compute power.
How are operators adapting cooling strategies—liquid cooling, rear-door heat exchangers, and AI-driven airflow management—to meet rack densities exceeding 30kW in hot climate zones like the GCC?
How are proximity to IXPs, submarine cable landings, and grid reliability shaping site selection and architectural decisions?
How are engineering teams designing for GPU clusters, liquid immersion cooling, and dynamic load balancing to support generative AI
As the global demand for data centres surges—driven by AI, cloud expansion, and digital transformation—the Middle East is emerging as a key growth market. Yet, delivering capacity at speed is increasingly challenged by supply chain constraints and labour shortages.
What strategies are attracting and upskilling the next generation of talent to meet the scale and complexity of data centre builds?
How are modern construction techniques and prefabrication models reducing timelines and improving ROI?
partnerships and technologies are helping mitigate delays—from generators to semiconductors—and ensuring reliable go-live dates?
India’s digital infrastructure sector is undergoing rapid transformation and growth, driven by enhanced international connectivity and demand for AI.
What are the opportunities and challenges for India's digital economy?
How is the data centre market evolving, and what impact are hyperscaler investments like Google’s $15 billion AI Hub in Andhra Pradesh having?
How critical are new subsea landing stations in ensuring resilient connectivity and attracting new systems?
With leading data centre operators in the Middle East eyeing international expansion into Europe, Africa and the US, they will require new sources of capital to make these plans a reality.
Will traditional sources of capital, from sovereign wealth funds and national investment banks, finance expansions beyond their home nations?
What role can global investment banks and private equity firms play in supporting international expansion plans?
Do operators positioned within broader portfolios have an advantage when expanding, such as those within groups including power generation companies?
The region's higher temperatures and requirements for additional cooling drive up PUEs, making sustainability an additional challenge. Despite pushback on sustainability, it remains crucial to many leading customers and operators of data centres.
Is liquid cooling the inevitable future—or are hybrid and passive systems viable alternatives?
How are operators managing the energy-water-carbon trade-offs in cooling strategy?
How are suppliers addressing water scarcity and regulatory constraints?
What role do heat reuse, smart materials, and predictive maintenance play?
The role of internet exchanges and peering are often overlooked in the region’s digital transformation. The local exchange of traffic will be essential in the shift to inference and other latency-dependent use cases.
What is the status of the region’s leading exchanges?
How is content localisation unlocking the value of AI?
The role of neutral internet exchanges in attracting international players to growing hubs
While data centres are scaling rapidly to meet demand, many operators still lag in adopting operational technologies that drive sustainability, safety, and efficiency. This session explores how AI, automation, and digital management systems are transforming day-to-day operations—from predictive maintenance to workforce diversity—unlocking new value across the lifecycle.
AI for Operational Efficiency: How are operators using AI-driven predictive maintenance and workload optimisation to reduce downtime and energy use.
Smart Safety & Security: The role of digital twins, robotics, and real-time monitoring in improving site safety and physical security across hyperscale campuses.
Where telco leaders, next-gen innovators and bold start-ups reimagine and catalyse tomorrow's growth engines. As competition intensifies, margins compress and customer buying strategies evolve, CSPs must look beyond connectivity and traditional telco solutions to meet client requirements and drive future growth.
But where should companies channel their focus? What capabilities do enterprise and wholesale customers value? Where are the industry’s blind spots? Cutting through hype, what is the next big opportunity to monetise? How do you do it in a new and unique way? Who are the partners that can help you get there faster?
Building upon the success of our inaugural meeting in Washinton DC last May, GrowthX challenges CSP product and innovation leaders to think outside the box. Understand enterprise perspectives; gain insights from executives at the helm of the world’s biggest OEMs, software, cloud and compute providers; and connect with innovative start-ups through the lively dragon’s den.
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