In an exclusive interview, Vast Data’s Haider Aziz and Ahmed Gamal sat down to discuss their journey, the evolution of AI infrastructure in the region, and what lies ahead
Vast Data is rapidly emerging as one of the most transformative AI infrastructure players globally, and nowhere is this impact more visible than in the Middle East. Headquartered in Dubai, Vast has become the data platform of choice for enterprises and governments investing in large-scale AI initiatives, sovereign cloud infrastructure, and sustainable data center strategies.
Founded in 2016, Vast Data is a software-only AI infrastructure company delivering a unified data platform for next-gen workloads. Its core offering, the Vast Data Platform, combines file and object storage, structured and unstructured data sync, and a high-performance data engine to power agentic AI workflows. Vast works closely with leading GPU vendors like NVIDIA and AMD and supports deployments from training and inference to full-scale production.
The company’s sustainability focus aligns with the climate goals of host countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, making Vast a natural partner in sovereign AI initiatives, clean energy-powered data centers, and future-ready computing models.
At the helm of Vast Data are Haider Aziz, General Manager, and Ahmed Gamal, Regional Sales Director for AI OS across the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey. Together, they are building partnerships, advising government entities, and enabling a full-stack AI operating system that supports not just inference and training—but a future-ready, climate-conscious, and agentic AI model of deployment.
In an exclusive interview with The American Bazaar, Haider Aziz and Ahmed Gamal share how Vast Data is shaping the future of enterprise AI infrastructure across the MENA region driven by sustainability, scale, and sovereign innovation.
The American Bazaar: Could you start by telling us a little bit about yourselves and Vast?
Ahmed Gamal: I’m the Regional Sales Director for Vast Data in the Middle East and Africa. At Vast, we provide an artificial intelligence operating system, a data platform, and a sync engine. This infrastructure solution helps customers perform a range of AI workloads, starting from training and inference all the way to production. As governments and enterprises shift from generative AI to agentic AI workflows, our unified platform enables them to migrate from legacy data to structured data, all under one roof.
Haider Aziz: I’m the General Manager for Vast Data across the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, based in Dubai. We have full operations across the region, with a Gulf and North Africa headquarters in Riyadh, and additional offices in the UAE and South Africa. I joined Vast in 2021 as the first employee in the Middle East. Since then, we’ve seen tremendous success as AI adoption skyrockets. We’ve evolved into the AI operating system of choice for many in the region. As you’ve probably seen, AI has become a national priority. Saudi’s Crown Prince was recently in the U.S. advancing AI partnerships, and the UAE has already established initiatives like Stargate and sovereign cloud strategies. We’re working closely with Abu Dhabi government to deliver AI-ready infrastructure in this sovereign AI space.
You launched in the region in 2021—just before the AI explosion with OpenAI and others. What market gap did you initially aim to fill?
Haider Aziz: While our regional operations began in 2021, Vast as a company started in 2016. We went GA (general availability) around 2018–2019, initially focused on North America and parts of the UK. Back then, our positioning was around “universal storage” and high-performance computing (HPC).
But with the rise of AI, especially OpenAI and NVIDIA’s breakthroughs, we evolved. Vast is now a software-only vendor delivering a full data platform. We support agentic AI, not just generic AI, and we’re complementary to major players like NVIDIA, AMD, and Qualcomm. Our platform is optimized for inferencing, training, and full-scale model development.
Given we’re speaking at CARE for MENA—a summit on sustainable AI development—what does climate-conscious AI infrastructure look like to you?
Ahmed Gamal: That’s very aligned with what the UAE government is pushing for: AI that is both powerful and sustainable. A key example is the Stargate project, which Vast, NVIDIA, and OpenAI are contributing to. It’s targeting 5 gigawatts of electricity—that’s enough to run 5 million high-performance computers or power a medium-sized city. And all of it will be sourced from clean energy—projects like Masdar City are leading the way.
Besides clean power, cooling is another major concern. Future data centers must be architected with environmental sustainability at the core, both in power and thermal design.
The AI infrastructure space is increasingly saturated. What are some challenges Vast faces in maintaining momentum?
Haider Aziz: Let me put it this way: we don’t see them as challenges, we see them as education opportunities. One of the biggest hurdles is helping customers understand the difference between traditional storage platforms and what a modern data platform like Vast offers.
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Historically, IT has focused on enterprise workloads. But with the shift to AI, everything from hardware to data centers must evolve. AI requires an entirely different pipeline, data engines, structured/unstructured integration, and real-time sync across text, video, and historical logs.
So we focus on educating the customer, the ecosystem, and even our partners. In the past, you’d deal with the infrastructure team. Today, you’re engaging with AI directors and even ministries of AI. It’s a new world, and we help clients bridge that gap.
Ahmed Gamal: Exactly. The customer’s challenge is our challenge. Their data is fragmented, across clouds, silos, formats. Vast unifies that. We solve complexity. That’s our mission.
On a personal note, what drives your passion for this field?
Haider Aziz: I’ve been in technology since university. My father advised me to study computer science back when we didn’t even have a personal computer—just CPUs in the early ’90s! Since then, I’ve worked with many tech vendors. What keeps me motivated is the incredible vision of UAE and Gulf leadership. They are driving innovation not just nationally, but globally. The UAE was ready for AI years before the world caught on.
Ahmed Gamal: I’m deeply driven by the power of knowledge transfer. I love learning and then sharing that with others. Working at Vast gives me the chance to help governments and industries transform through AI. I know what we’re building will change lives, industries, and nations. That gives me immense energy and purpose.
Finally, where do you see Vast in the next 5–10 years?
Haider Aziz: Vast is the fastest-growing startup data platform company in the world. When I joined four and a half years ago, we had 300 employees. Today, we have 1,300. Every day, our founder updates us with new visions and features—we’re constantly evolving.
Looking forward, we’re building for quantum computing. That’s the next frontier. Today we’re working with GPUs, next will be quantum. And regionally, we’re growing fast. What started as a one-man show is now a full-fledged team across Saudi, UAE, and Africa. We aim to double our team next year, expand partner ecosystems, and deepen our market presence.