By Micah Jonah
February 17, 2026
An Iraqi-Emirati consortium has unveiled plans town construct a $700 million subsea and land-based data cable linking the United Arab Emirates to Turkey through Iraq, in a major push to strengthen digital connectivity across the Middle East as competition over artificial intelligence infrastructure intensifies.
The project, branded WorldLink, will feature an undersea cable stretching from the UAE to Iraq’s Faw peninsula along the Gulf before extending overland to the Turkish border. Ali El Akabi, head of Iraq’s Tech 964 and one of the project backers, disclosed that the initiative will be privately funded and implemented in phases over five years.
The development comes barely a week after Saudi Arabia and Syria announced a separate fibre-optic project known as SilkLink, valued at about $1 billion, aimed at positioning Syria as a key digital transit route between Asia and Europe.
Gulf powers, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are ramping up efforts to capture rising global demand for faster connectivity and data centre infrastructure driven by the artificial intelligence boom. Analysts say the region is positioning itself as a strategic hub linking Asia, Europe and Africa.
According to El Akabi, WorldLink is designed to reduce congestion and shorten data transit times compared to traditional routes that pass through the Suez Canal. The project is also expected to enhance route diversity and digital resilience across the region.
Sponsors of WorldLink include Iraq-Kurdish DIL Technologies and UAE-based Breeze Investments. Nayef Al Ameri, chairman of Breeze Investments, stated that the initiative aims to deliver “the fastest and most reliable connectivity in the region,” stressing that AI infrastructure readiness is now a necessity in the global digital economy.
Iraq, seeking to reposition itself as a stable transit corridor after decades of conflict, had earlier launched a $17 billion Development Road project in 2023 to link the Faw port to Turkey through rail and road networks. Observers note that the data cable initiative aligns with Baghdad’s broader ambition to transform into a regional logistics and digital hub.
Regional competition in fibre-optic infrastructure is expected to deepen as countries jostle for strategic relevance in the expanding AI-driven global economy.
