An electric and autonomous vehicle developer is looking to move into the data center space.

UAE-based Robo.ai last week announced that its Robo.ai Investments L.L.C.-FZ subsidiary has entered into a definitive joint venture agreement with Tachyon9 Corporation, a US-based data center infrastructure provider.

The joint venture will focus on investing in, developing, and operating high-performance AI data centers and digital infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates and key global markets.

The company said the JV, majority-owned by Robo.ai, is initially targeting a 20MW AI data center. The company said the project would be located in Asia or the Middle East.

Full details haven’t been shared, but the facility is projected to be operational within 12 to 24 months of site acquisition and “specifically engineered to support Large Language Model training and mission-critical AI workloads.”

Benjamin Zhai, CEO of Robo.ai, said: "This joint venture completes a critical piece of our infrastructure puzzle. Having secured access to the 'compute engine' last week, we have now secured the 'chassis'. In an era of global capacity scarcity, this vertical integration ensures we can deliver stable, efficient, and scalable AI solutions to our clients."

Few details about Tachyon9 are available. The company said it specializes in deploying liquid-cooled data centers for hosting AI hardware.

Shahal Khan, executive chairman of Tachyon9, added: "The global Edge-based AI data center market is projected to surpass $50 billion by 2030, with the Middle East and Asia capturing a rapidly growing share. Tachyon9's leadership in US data center innovation, combined with Robo.ai's regional expertise in robotics and Edge computing, creates a powerful platform to drive the next generation of AI infrastructure across these high-growth markets."

UAE-based, Nasdaq-listed Robo.ai Inc. describes itself as a technology company dedicated to developing a global AI-enabled robotics platform.

Formerly known as NWTN Inc., the company is developing electric and autonomous vehicles through its Astra Mobility unit and is also looking to develop flying taxis.

Robo recently announced a reseller agreement with the Ghazi Group to supply advanced CPU, GPU, and AI inference as Edge hardware solutions. The leadership team for the Ghazi Group is the same as that of Tachyon9.

The company said its partnership with Ghazi was part of its change from an AI robotic platform to “a critical compute gateway for enterprise and sovereign AI deployment.”

“By accessing essential AI infrastructure, Robo.ai is positioned at the strategic intersection of AI software, robotics, and the underlying compute architecture required for large-scale implementation,” the company said at the time.

The company has a number of ventures. Last year, it partnered with JW Group and Ferox Investments to announce plans for a Robo.ai Industrial City in Dubai Industrial City to act as the firm’s main manufacturing hub. It has also looked to launch blockchain-based offerings.

Robo.ai secured $300 million in investment from Burkhan Capital and $100m from ATW Partners last year.

Last month, Nasdaq-listed electric vehicle maker Envirotech Vehicles deployed a natural gas-powered containerized data center as part of its own pivot.