Robo.ai Inc. (NASDAQ: AIIO) has entered a definitive joint venture (JV) agreement with Tachyon9 Corporation, a U.S. advanced data-center infrastructure specialist, to accelerate the development and deployment of high-performance AI infrastructure across key global markets -- a move aimed at addressing the massive demand for AI compute capacity. (PR Newswire)

The joint venture, in which Robo.ai will hold a majority stake through its wholly owned subsidiary Robo.ai Investments L.L.C.-FZ, focuses on investing in, building, and operating high-performance AI data centers and next-generation digital infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and select international regions.

First Major Project: A 20 MW AI Data Center

The JV's initial flagship initiative is the development of a 20 megawatt (MW) AI data center -- a facility engineered to support Large Language Model (LLM) training and mission-critical AI workloads -- with plans to begin operations 12 to 24 months after securing a site. This project is slated for either the Asia-Pacific (APAC) or Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region, reflecting both regions' rapid growth in AI infrastructure demand.

By combining Tachyon9's technical expertise in advanced data-center solutions with Robo.ai's regional insight and robotics-led edge computing experience, the JV aims to capture a significant share of the global AI compute infrastructure market -- especially where traditional grid and cooling limitations have bottlenecked deployment capabilities.

Vertical Integration: From Compute to Facility Operations

This partnership comes shortly after Robo.ai signed a Gold Reseller agreement with The Ghazi Group for advanced CPUs, GPUs, and AI inference hardware -- effectively linking chip supply with data-center facility operations under one vertically integrated strategy. In the words of Robo.ai's CEO, Benjamin Zhai, the JV fills a "critical piece of our infrastructure puzzle," securing not just the compute engines but also the physical infrastructure chassis required to host them.

Tachyon9's Executive Chairman Shahal Khan emphasized that the alliance bridges U.S. data-center innovation with Robo.ai's footprint in high-growth global markets, helping meet surging demand across APAC and the Middle East.

Tackling the Global AI Infrastructure Gap

The JV is positioning itself to address the so-called "Tier 1 Crisis" -- a global shortfall in AI infrastructure that industry analysts have pegged at roughly $200 billion. Long grid-connection queues and the heat output of modern GPUs have constrained new deployments, motivating demand for advanced cooling solutions, rapid-build edge facilities, and other innovations that bypass traditional constraints.

The joint venture is built around three core pillars aimed at unlocking capacity and reducing costs:

• Liquid Cooling Retrofits: Enhancing existing data centers with advanced heat-management to unlock 2-3Ã? higher rack density.
• Edge Micro Data Centers: Deploying prefabricated units to support applications like 5G and autonomous networks -- and avoid long build-out timelines.
• Capital Efficiency: Pursuing an "Equipment-as-a-Service" model that could cut initial capital expenditures by up to ~62%, improving project economics for customers and partners.

Targeting High-Growth Regions

Driven by ambitious national digital transformation initiatives -- such as the UAE's "We The UAE 2031" vision and smart city projects across the Middle East and Asia -- the JV estimates a regional total addressable market (TAM) of $6-10 billion in the APAC and MENA regions alone. These areas are projected to capture 30-40% of global demand for next-generation AI infrastructure in the coming years.

Why It Matters

• Strategic Infrastructure Expansion: The JV targets one of the most pressing bottlenecks in the AI ecosystem -- robust, scalable compute facilities tailored to cutting-edge AI workloads.
• Market Opportunity: With global markets racing to deploy capacity for AI training and inference, this partnership could position Robo.ai and Tachyon9 as key players in filling an infrastructure gap worth tens of billions of dollars.
• Vertical Integration Advantage: By unifying chip supply agreements with infrastructure build-outs, Robo.ai enhances its ability to offer turnkey AI compute solutions to enterprise and cloud customers.

As global demand for AI compute continues to surge -- particularly for LLM training and latency-sensitive autono­mous workloads -- infrastructure remains a critical battleground. The Robo.ai-Tachyon9 joint venture marks a significant step toward unlocking capacity in high-growth markets and building the backbone of tomorrow's AI-driven economy.

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