The Middle East’s data centre landscape is accelerating rapidly, shaped by hyperscale cloud expansion, AI-driven workloads, and national digital strategies focused on long-term economic diversification. As facilities grow denser and more power-intensive, advanced thermal management and liquid cooling are becoming critical enablers of sustainable scale. In this evolving environment, Castrol ON, part of bp, is helping address the infrastructure demands of next-generation AI data centres.
In this exclusive interaction with Catalyst, Aida Elbouanani, Market Development Director Data Centres – Middle East, Türkiye & Africa, at bp Castrol, shares perspectives on why the region is uniquely attractive for long-term data centre investment, the role of liquid cooling in unlocking high-density AI environments, and the key themes shaping the discussion at Datacloud Middle East.
She will be speaking at Datacloud Middle East, representing Castrol ON, and contributing to discussions on how advanced liquid cooling technologies are enabling scalable, high-density, AI-ready data centre infrastructure across the region.
Hyperscalers are investing heavily across the region. What makes the Middle East uniquely attractive for long-term Data Centre scale?
The Middle East has emerged as one of the fastest growing Data Centre regions globally driven by AI workloads, hyperscale investments and supportive national digital strategies. The Middle East offers a rare combination of geography, demand growth, policy support, power dynamics, and economic efficiency, making it a compelling region for hyperscalers to invest in large-scale Data Centre infrastructure with strong long-term returns.
As a result, Liquid cooling’s role in enabling highdensity AI data centres is becoming increasingly important in the region. As Peter Huang, Castrol Global President of Thermal Management & Data Centres, shared “As AI data centres scale, integrated approaches across power, cooling, and system validation are more important than ever. “
You are representing Castrol ON Liquid Cooling at Datacloud Middle East. Could you share some insights into your session and the key themes you will be addressing?
At Castrol ON, we leverage advanced and innovative technologies and close collaboration with global business partners enables optimal performance throughout the entire lifecycle of data centres. We collaborate with OEMs, cooling technology vendors, and data centre operators to accelerate liquid cooling deployments and ensure that solutions are validated, reliable, and scalable.
We are hosting a panel titled “Cooling the AI Revolution: How Liquid Cooling is Unlocking the Future of HighDensity AI Factories.” The session will bring together experts from endcustomers and engineering firms to explore key industry questions, including the viability of hybrid models, how the fluid selection impact the system architecture and performance, what challenges have operators faced in adoption and how can industry players collaborate to overcome them. These are critical questions for a sector moving from pilots to scaled deployments.
Which region within META excites you most right now from an infrastructure and digital growth perspective, and why?
The Gulf excites me because it combines capital, clarity, execution speed all at the same time; that’s exactly the mix you need for meaningful, long-term digital infrastructure growth. The UAE particularly stands out; the recent multigigawatt expansion announcements by Khazna are strong signals of the region’s ambition to establish itself as a global hub for liquid cooled Data Centres. Here industry players are coming together to support this growth and help the operators to overcome the challenges that could hinder liquid cooling adoption.
Final Thoughts
As the Middle East positions itself as a global hub for AI-driven digital infrastructure, the ability to scale data centres efficiently, sustainably, and reliably is becoming a strategic priority. Advanced thermal management and liquid cooling are no longer optional technologies but foundational enablers of high-density, future-ready facilities. With strong policy support, capital availability, and accelerating hyperscale demand, the region is well placed to lead the next phase of data centre evolution, where collaboration across the ecosystem, validated solutions, and integrated approaches to power and cooling will determine long-term success.
All Content Rights Reserved by Catalyst.
