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UK-founded Yamna signs MoU amid Oman AI data centre plan
The News
On October 21, 2026, during the Sultan of Oman's state visit, an Omani ministry and UK-founded Yamna signed a memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation in digital infrastructure, Oman News Agency reported. The UK said Yamna was set to sign an agreement to build a large-scale AI data centre in Salalah, its first phase expected to exceed £1bn.
Chandni Melwani
Founder & Editor
Oct 23, 2026 · 1 MIN READ
Know More
- — Developer: Yamna, 'a global infrastructure development and investment company', in the UK government's words.
- — Absent from the UK release: capacity, chip supplier, customers, or how much of the first phase each investor funds.
- — Previous state visit to the UK by a Sultan of Oman: 1982, hosted by Queen Elizabeth II.
The jobs London is counting from an AI data centre in Salalah are British ones. The UK government’s release came on October 21, the day Prime Minister Andy Burnham hosted Sultan Haitham bin Tarik in Downing Street. It says Yamna’s first phase, expected to exceed £1bn, will create over 100 highly skilled jobs “across the UK by exporting British expertise and attracting returns for UK-backed investors.”
Oman News Agency, in a report reprinted by the Federation of Arab News Agencies, says Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology and Yamna signed a memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation “within the Oman Digital Triangle project”. It places the memorandum “in the field of digital infrastructure” and mentions neither Salalah nor AI. Gulf News reports that the two countries “have signed agreements covering” the data centre, and The National that they “signed an agreement to build” it.
The Read
Oman has invested £1.7bn in the UK since their 2022 partnership, and the UK release describes a new agreement as accelerating 'two-way investment'. The release's one named company, Yamna, backed by British investment funds, was set to sign an agreement to build in Oman. Technology is among the new agreement's sectors, so more British-backed technology projects there will probably follow.
Room for Disagreement
For the partnership, the release gives only one figure, Oman's £1.7bn invested in the UK since 2022. The new agreement's sector list, which includes technology, could as easily bring more Omani money to British technology companies, leaving Yamna's Salalah project the exception rather than the start.
Related
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the new UK–Oman investment agreement cover?
The UK government said an agreement accelerating two-way investment was expected to be signed on October 21. It will build on the existing UK–Oman Sovereign Investment Partnership and support increased investment across sectors including renewable energy, technology, critical minerals, space, healthcare and financial services. Oman News Agency reported the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Oman Investment Authority and the Office for Investment at the UK's Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, regarding 'a sovereign partnership for cooperation and investment encouragement'.
Will UK Export Finance back the Salalah data centre?
Neither the UK release nor Oman News Agency's report says. The release says UK Export Finance, the UK government's export credit agency, will increase its financing capacity up to £7bn for UK exports to Oman, 'helping unlock even more opportunities for trade and investment'. UK exports to Oman totalled £1.1bn in the four quarters to the end of the first quarter of 2026, by the release's count.
What else did the UK and Oman agree during the visit?
The UK government said the two countries were expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on maritime co-operation, through strengthened information-sharing and knowledge exchange with the Omani Maritime Security Centre, and would sign agreements on the responsible use of AI in education and closer cooperation on space. Gulf News reported the education item as a signed letter of intent, and said the UK Space Agency and the Omani government agreed to exchange expertise. The UK announced the return of its Chevening scholarships to Oman, with applications from August 2027.
Sources
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office press release, 'Major investment to drive growth and jobs across Britain as Sultan of Oman visits UK,' 21 October 2026. Primary source for Yamna being 'set to sign' an agreement with Oman to build a large-scale AI data centre in Salalah, its first phase expected to exceed £1bn and the over 100 highly skilled UK jobs, Yamna's description, the agreement accelerating two-way investment and its sectors, UK Export Finance's capacity of up to £7 billion, Oman's £1.7bn invested since the 2022 Sovereign Investment Partnership, UK exports of £1.1 billion, the 1982 state visit, and the maritime, AI-in-education, space and Chevening items.
- Oman News Agency, 'Oman, United Kingdom Sign Two MoUs for Investment, Strategic Cooperation,' London, 21 October 2026, as reprinted by the Federation of Arab News Agencies (omannews.gov.om did not respond when fetched). The two memoranda signed during the state visit: Oman Investment Authority with the UK's Office for Investment on a sovereign partnership, and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology with Yamna on strategic cooperation 'within the Oman Digital Triangle project', in the field of digital infrastructure. It does not mention Salalah or AI.
- Prime Minister's Office, 'PM meeting with the Sultan of Oman: 21 October 2026.' Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Downing Street meeting with Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.
- Gulf News, 'Oman, UK seal £1bn AI data centre deal, expand investment and security ties,' last updated October 22, 2026. The two countries having 'signed agreements covering' the Salalah AI data centre, the AI-in-education letter of intent, and the UK Space Agency and Omani government agreeing to exchange expertise.
- The National, 'Sultan Haitham renews centuries-old trade links with London on state visit,' October 22, 2026. The UK and Oman having 'signed an agreement to build' an AI data centre in Salalah.
- Hero photo: Salalah port, Oman, by Syed99975, Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence, which applies to the hero photo
Chandni Melwani
Chandni Melwani is the founder and editor of New in AI, covering AI agents, M&A, and enterprise adoption. She holds a Master's in Management of Artificial Intelligence from Queen's University and brings a practitioner's perspective from her work in Data and AI leadership.
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