Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in May 2026 resulted in a broad set of bilateral agreements spanning energy security, advanced technology, maritime infrastructure, defence cooperation, and investment flows.
A major outcome was the strengthening of India’s long-term energy security partnership with the UAE through agreements between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). The framework provides for the storage of up to 30 million barrels of ADNOC crude oil within India’s strategic petroleum reserves at Visakhapatnam and Chandikol, while also exploring reciprocal storage arrangements in Fujairah.
In the technology sector, C-DAC and UAE-based G-42 signed a framework agreement to establish an 8 Exaflop supercomputing cluster to support India’s national AI ecosystem and high-performance computing capabilities.
The visit also expanded cooperation in maritime infrastructure and defence manufacturing. Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) signed agreements related to the development of a major ship repair cluster at Vadinar, Gujarat, alongside maritime workforce training initiatives.
On the financial front, UAE sovereign and private entities announced investment commitments worth approximately US$ 5 billion across infrastructure, banking, and housing finance sectors in India.
The bilateral engagements additionally produced a formal framework for strategic defence cooperation covering cyber security, secure communications, and industrial collaboration.
Key Bilateral Outcomes
Strategic Oil Storage: Up to 30 million barrels of ADNOC crude in Indian reserves
AI Infrastructure: Proposed 8 Exaflop supercomputing cluster under India AI Mission
Foreign Investment: US$ 5 billion investment commitments announced
Maritime Infrastructure: Vadinar Ship Repair Cluster partnership launched
Defence Cooperation: New strategic framework on cyber and secure communications
LPG Supply Chain: IOCL–ADNOC commercial framework for long-term supply arrangements
Sector-Wise Bilateral Agreements
The outcomes are organised across four pillars of bilateral cooperative integration:
Sector | Agreement / Partner Entities | Primary Policy & Operational Objective |
Energy Security | ISPRL & ADNOC | Crude storage in Visakhapatnam and Chandikol; explore LNG/LPG storage infrastructure. |
Defense & Cyber | Inter-Governmental Framework | Industrial defense collaboration, special ops interoperability, and secure information exchange. |
Maritime & Skill | CSL, Drydocks World & CEMS | Setting up the Vadinar Ship Repair Cluster; workforce training for a global hub layout. |
Supercomputing | C-DAC & G-42 (UAE) | Establishing an 8 Exaflop supercomputing asset under the national AI Mission India. |
Major Investment Commitments
Infrastructure: ADIA and NIIF exploring up to US$ 1 billion deployment in infrastructure projects
Banking: Emirates NBD to invest US$ 3 billion into RBL Bank
Housing & Financial Services: IHC to invest US$ 1 billion into Sammaan Capital
What is an “Exaflop” Supercomputer?
An Exaflop Super Computing Cluster refers to a high-performance computing system capable of executing at least one quintillion ($10^{18}$) calculations per second. "Flops" measure floating-point operations per second, and reaching the "Exascale" represents the absolute cutting-edge of modern computational power. In the context of the C-DAC and G-42 partnership, an 8 Exaflop cluster provides the massive processing data-rails required to train advanced, large-scale Artificial Intelligence models, execute complex climate simulations, and power real-time data governance frameworks under India’s AI Mission.
Policy Relevance
De-risks Energy Supply Chains: Allowing ADNOC to store 30 million barrels within domestic reserves dramatically strengthens India's energy buffering capacity against global geopolitical shocks or supply bottlenecks.
Fuelling India's AI Ambitions: The 8 Exaflop cluster provides the raw infrastructure independence India needs to develop sovereign AI technologies, moving away from Western computational monopolies.
Commercialises the Maritime Economy: Building the Vadinar Ship Repair Cluster through the Maritime Development Fund reduces India's dependence on foreign repair yards, keeping high-value industrial revenues domestic.
Deepens Financial Resilience: The US$ 3 billion infusion by Emirates NBD into RBL Bank and US$ 1 billion into infrastructure scale up domestic lending pipelines for manufacturing and capital assets.
Formalises Defense Co-Production: Transitioning from a buyer-seller relationship to a Strategic Defence Partnership Framework enables joint research, secure cyber defense systems, and interoperability protocols.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: With UAE sovereign investments increasingly targeting Indian infrastructure, how can the Government align incoming capital flows with PM GatiShakti priorities such as multi-modal logistics hubs, ports, industrial corridors, and strategic freight connectivity projects?
Follow the Full News Here: List of Outcomes: Prime Minister’s Visit to the UAE