UK-Founded Yamna Is Set to Sign a Deal to Build an AI Data Centre in Oman, UK Government Says

UK-founded infrastructure company Yamna "is set to sign an agreement with Oman to build a large-scale Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centre in Salalah", according to a UK government press release published on 21 October 2026 for the Sultan of Oman's State Visit to the UK. The same release says the UK and Oman "will also sign new agreements on the responsible use of AI in education".

The release, from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, also covers trade, investment, defence, maritime security and education.

The Yamna data centre

The release describes Yamna as "a global infrastructure development and investment company backed by British investment funds". Its full wording on the project:

"The announcements come as UK-founded Yamna, a global infrastructure development and investment company backed by British investment funds, is set to sign an agreement with Oman to build a large-scale Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centre in Salalah. The first phase is expected to exceed £1bn and will create over 100 highly skilled jobs across the UK by exporting British expertise and attracting returns for UK-backed investors."

What that says, and does not:

• Not yet signed. The agreement is one Yamna "is set to sign". The release does not say when, or who signs for Oman beyond "with Oman".
• The building is in Oman; the jobs are in the UK. The data centre is "in Salalah", in Oman. The "over 100 highly skilled jobs" are "across the UK", which the release links to "exporting British expertise". It names no UK towns or regions.
• The money is a forecast for phase one. The first phase "is expected to exceed £1bn". The release gives no capacity in megawatts, no timeline, no customers and no figure for later phases.

The release's first paragraph says "Over £1bn in new investment is set to generate jobs and opportunity across the UK and Oman". It does not say whether that headline figure is the Yamna first phase or a separate total.

In a DCD report republished by BeBeez on 3 September 2026, DCD said Yamna had signed a land reservation agreement at Brazil's Port of Açu, describing it as "part of the company’s plans to develop large-scale data center projects across multiple jurisdictions".

AI in the classroom

The second AI item is one sentence long:

"The UK and Oman will also sign new agreements on the responsible use of AI in education, supporting English language learning and helping teachers use AI safely and effectively in the classroom, and closer cooperation on space - exchanging expertise and cooperation on space policy, scientific research and innovation between the UK Space Agency and the Omani government."

The release does not name the UK or Omani bodies signing the education agreements, or give their terms.

The rest of the visit, briefly

• An agreement "accelerating two-way investment" is "expected to be signed today", building on the UK-Oman Sovereign Investment Partnership. The sectors listed include "renewable energy, technology, critical minerals, space, healthcare and financial services".
• UK Export Finance "will also increase its financing capacity up to £7 billion for UK exports to Oman".
• The two countries "are also expected to sign" a maritime Memorandum of Understanding, and the UK will announce the return of the Chevening scholarship programme to Oman, taking applications from August 2027.

The release says "Prime Minister Andy Burnham will host His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman in Downing Street today". In the release, "Prime Minister, Andy Burnham said" that "Economic growth, security, defence, education: these are just some of the priorities we share as we plot a course through an increasingly complex world." Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is also quoted. Neither quote mentions AI.

Why it matters

On our reading, this is a UK government announcement of an agreement that has not yet been signed, so the detail that would let anyone judge the project (capacity, power source, timeline, where in the UK the jobs go) is not in the release. The release's own framing is that the first phase "is expected to exceed £1bn" and that the UK jobs are tied to "exporting British expertise". The signed agreement and further detail on the project are what to watch for.