The alpha, twice a week
That was 2 min.
Get the best new moments in your inbox every Wednesday and Saturday. It's free.
Check your inbox
We sent a link to your address. Click it to finish signing up. Not there in a minute? Look in spam.
or
All-In · 2 min · Apr 17, 2026
Gulf-state data centers can add capacity beyond U.S. grids
David Sacks
David Sacks recalls working on Gulf-state data centers using American technology, then says the sites became targets amid Iran tensions.
In this episode
Full episode- 22:09Enterprise coding is driving Anthropic's faster growth5 min
- 39:55Compute shortages could put a ceiling on AI growth8 min
- 1:15:55AI's enterprise payoff still lacks scaled proof8 min
- 15:16Compute scale and customer growth can reinforce each other2 min
- 51:06Gulf-state data centers can add capacity beyond U.S. grids2 min
- 36:07City licensing can erase scooter-market economics3 min
- 1:00:08Friedberg heard Swalwell allegations months before they surfaced3 min
“a year ago, that's one of the things I worked on was allowing the Gulf states to build data centers with American technology for America.”
David Sacksat 51:47 · All-In
Takeaways
- Sacks says he worked on data centers in Gulf states for U.S. companies.
- Overseas siting can add capacity beyond domestic power limits.
- The facilities can also become geopolitical targets.
About this segment
David Sacks recalls working on Gulf-state data centers using American technology, then says the sites became targets amid Iran tensions. Overseas capacity can ease domestic power constraints, but it brings geopolitical exposure.
David Sacks, Host
Co-founder & partner, Craft Ventures
PayPal's first COO, founded Yammer; White House AI & crypto czar 2025–26.
Chamath Palihapitiya, Host · Founder & CEO, Social Capital
Led Facebook's growth team; his firm backed Slack and AI chipmaker Groq.
Jason Calacanis, Host · Founder & CEO, LAUNCH
Early Uber angel; sold Weblogs Inc. to AOL; hosts This Week in Startups.
David Friedberg, Host · CEO, Ohalo
Founded The Climate Corporation, sold to Monsanto for about $1.1B in 2013.
From “OpenAI's Identity Crisis, Datacenter Wars, Market Up on Iran News, Mamdani's First Tax, Swalwell Out”, Apr 17, 2026. Watch the full episode
Thanks. We'll look at and fix what's off.
Transcript
Transcribed by machine (Whisper) from the episode’s audio, so a word may be off here and there.
- 51:11
we actually had um chase from crusoe and michael from core weave on the all in interview show and they said they're bringing energy with them that's their big thing bring by oe bring your own energy to the space they're bringing in nac gas they're bringing in diesel fuel they're bringing in solar by oe is the model well can i also say listen if if you were of the opinion that you didn't want more data centers in America because it was using up, say, scarce energy resources or something like that, but you weren't just anti-progress altogether, then what you would want to do is at least see more data center construction among U.S. allies, right? Energy rich U.S. allies. Well, a year ago, that's one of the things I worked on was allowing the Gulf states to build data centers with American technology for America.
- 52:00
companies. And remember the controversy that caused? Everyone accused us that somehow this was like serving China. Well, those data centers are getting bombed, and I don't think they'd be getting bombed right now by Iran if they were serving China. These were- They're very strategic, yeah. The IRGC has put these data centers on a list of assets that they've threatened to destroy because they're American assets or they're assets of our Gulf state partners in partnership with America and American companies. This whole idea that somehow this was a threat to American national security was a total hoax, just like the data center uses too much water.
- 52:37
And what I'm saying is that a lot of the same forces were behind this hoax as are behind these data center hoax. Now, Freeberg is right about the resentments, but those resentments get whipped up and marshaled by people who have an agenda. And that agenda is well-funded and strategic. And I can tell you that in the case of the GCC data centers, Anthropic was adamantly opposed to that, and they were lobbying against it, and they were, again, salting the earth against those projects.
- 53:06
I think the whole issue is kind of moot now anyway, because I think the data centers have been blown up, or they've been threatened to. But it just shows how ridiculous and what a psyop some of the opposition to these ideas are.