VivoPower and Open Innovation AI Partner to Develop at Least 1 GW of Sovereign AI Data Centers Across Europe, GCC and Asia

VivoPower PLC and Open Innovation AI has set itself an initial target of at least 1 GW of sovereign AI data center capacity over the next three years, under a definitive heads of agreement executed between the two companies.

Strategic Partnership for Sovereign AI Data Centers

The Nasdaq-listed VivoPower, a B Corp-certified global developer and owner of powered land and data center infrastructure for AI compute applications, joined forces with the UAE-based AI orchestration, operations and security platform company to explore and develop secure sovereign AI data centers across the Nordics, Mainland Europe, the GCC, and selective countries in Asia.

The companies estimate the initial sovereign AI opportunity in Europe alone at more than 40 GW, spanning sovereign cloud demand from government administration, defence, medical, educational, and financial services, with further demand expected across the GCC and Asia.

The signing in Abu Dhabi

The agreement was signed at the Sheikh Zayed Museum in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, in the presence of senior leadership from both companies. The partners said the choice of venue in the UAE capital reflects Abu Dhabi's growing role as a global hub for sovereign AI and their ambition to carry that model into new markets.

Open Innovation AI's role in the partnership draws on sovereign AI expertise it has built in the UAE, described by the companies as one of the world's earliest and most ambitious adopters of sovereign cloud. The company has designed, deployed, and operated AI labs and platforms for government and enterprise environments and clients in the country.

Power as the prerequisite

According to the companies, demand for AI compute is growing faster than the power, land, and platforms available to host it. Governments and enterprises increasingly want capacity that remains under their control, with sovereignty over infrastructure, data, models, and AI services, supported by strong cybersecurity and governance.

The partners said sovereigns are coming to realise they have limited excess power for their own sovereign cloud needs, let alone for allocation to hyperscalers and AI companies. Governments are moving to secure their own compute, and power has become the prerequisite: without secured, scalable power, there can be no sovereign AI.

This, the companies said, makes powered land the starting point of every sovereign AI project, while governments also need a development partner to deliver the AI infrastructure and a technology and orchestration partner to deliver the sovereign cloud.

Through VivoPower's existing assets, Nordic pipeline, and sovereign relationships, combined with Open Innovation AI's track record of orchestrating sovereign cloud solutions, the partnership aims to become the leading AI sovereign solution for governments in the target jurisdictions.

Who does what

The division of responsibilities under the agreement assigns VivoPower the lead on-site sourcing and acquisition, site development, and power and facility operations, along with local market municipality and sovereign relationships.

Open Innovation AI will supply the orchestration, AI operations, and security layer, including its Full Stack AI Fabric, a single platform that combines orchestration and scheduling, AI and ML operations, agentic workflows, agent harness, and AI security.

Together, the two companies will originate and deliver AI data center projects with control and security embedded from design through to operation. As a first step, VivoPower has partnered with Open Innovation AI to deploy its software solutions, covering orchestration, AI operations, and security, across VivoPower's portfolio and Nordic pipeline.

Defining the four dimensions of sovereignty

The companies define sovereign cloud as AI and cloud infrastructure that a nation and the organisations it trusts can fully control. In a conventional public cloud, data, models, and operations can ultimately fall under foreign jurisdiction, foreign-controlled operators, or a single vendor's technology, whereas a sovereign cloud keeps every critical layer secure under local law and local control.

They outlined four dimensions of sovereignty.

Sovereign infrastructure means land, power, buildings, and compute are located in-country and owned or controlled by domestic or trusted partners.

Data sovereignty means data is stored and processed within national borders, governed by local law and protected from extraterritorial access.

Operational sovereignty means the platform is run, monitored, and supported by trusted local teams and can operate in private cloud, on-premises, or fully air-gapped environments.

Technology sovereignty means governments and enterprises control the software stack, models, and security without lock-in to any single foreign provider or hardware vendor.

Sovereign AI, as the companies describe it, applies these principles across the full AI lifecycle, from GPU orchestration and model training to the AI applications and agents that power public services, critical national infrastructure, defence, healthcare, finance, and industry.

Framework in place, projects to follow

The heads of agreement set out the framework for the collaboration, with the parties intending to progress individual projects under separate, project-specific agreements. Definitive documentation is to follow in due course.