Submer and Intel have signed a collaboration agreement to build and deploy AI, high-performance computing (HPC) and next-generation data centre infrastructure across the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, with joint reference architectures — including liquid-cooled designs — as the first deliverable.

The deal splits responsibilities along clear lines. Intel brings its compute platforms, validated reference architectures and technology roadmap. Submer, a full-stack AI and HPC infrastructure provider, contributes engineering, design and delivery capability spanning advisory, design and build, power solutions, thermal solutions and IT integration. The two companies frame the arrangement as a way to give operators and enterprises a single engineering path from architecture to deployment, instead of assembling capability across multiple vendors.

Retrofit market in focus

The commercial logic rests on regional demand for AI and HPC capacity, which the partners say is placing new requirements on data centre design — specifically compute density, thermal performance and power. Liquid cooling, long confined to niche HPC deployments, has moved to the centre of mainstream data centre planning as rack densities climb.

Submer will support deployment feasibility assessments in target markets, covering both new-build facilities and upgrades to existing sites. That second category matters commercially: the partners note that retrofits continue to represent a significant share of regional capacity as operators re-equip older facilities for higher densities. Target customers span sovereign, enterprise, hyperscale, telecom and public-sector accounts, with each side drawing on its existing relationships.

Testing complete configurations

The technical core of the agreement is the joint development of reference architectures for AI, accelerated compute and high-density deployments, including liquid-cooled designs. These will combine Intel platform architectures with Submer's infrastructure design and integration expertise.

Crucially, the two companies plan to test and validate these designs as complete configurations rather than component-level blueprints, with Submer contributing analysis of thermal performance, power usage and infrastructure efficiency. For operators, validated full-stack designs reduce integration risk — the point where many AI infrastructure projects overrun on cost and timeline.

Proof-of-concept first

Initial activity will focus on reference architecture development and proof-of-concept engagements with customers in priority markets. Submer provides infrastructure access, integration and deployment support; Intel provides reference architectures and technical guidance. The companies also plan joint workshops, executive briefings and technical sessions for customers and ecosystem participants across the region.

Neither company disclosed financial terms, contract values or named customers, so the agreement's scale remains unverified beyond the stated scope. What is concrete is the sequencing: reference architectures and proofs of concept come first, with feasibility assessments and full deployments to follow in target markets.