India-UAE sign 7 deals on energy, defence and tech during Modi's Gulf stopover
Synopsis
A brief Gulf stopover delivered seven concrete agreements — from an ADNOC petroleum reserves deal and a Strategic Defence Partnership to an eight Exaflop supercomputer cluster with G42 and a $5 billion UAE investment pledge. This wasn’t a courtesy visit; it was a structured diplomatic transaction across every pillar of the India-UAE relationship.
Key Takeaways
PM Modi visited the UAE on 15 May 2025 , signing seven major agreements during a brief stopover.
ISPRL and ADNOC signed a strategic collaboration to strengthen India’s strategic petroleum reserves .
A Strategic Defence Partnership framework was agreed, covering defence manufacturing, maritime security, and cyber defence.
India and the UAE will jointly establish an eight Exaflop supercomputer cluster via C-DAC and G42 .
A ship repair and maritime infrastructure cluster is proposed at Vadinar, Gujarat under the Make in India initiative.
The UAE committed $5 billion in investments across Indian infrastructure and financial institutions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, 15 May said that the agreements concluded during his brief stopover in the United Arab Emirates would add “further vigour” to the India-UAE partnership, after the two nations inked seven major agreements spanning energy security, defence manufacturing, advanced technology, maritime infrastructure, and investments. The visit marks one of the most substantive bilateral engagements between the two countries in recent years.
Key Agreements Signed
At the centre of the energy deals was a strategic collaboration between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL) and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), aimed at bolstering India’s strategic petroleum reserves. A separate long-term supply agreement for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was also signed, targeting energy security amid rising global demand and market volatility. The partnership is further expected to open cooperation avenues in India’s LNG and LPG infrastructure sectors.
Defence and Maritime Cooperation
On the defence front, both sides agreed on a framework for a Strategic Defence Partnership, covering defence manufacturing, military training, maritime security, cyber defence, innovation, and secure communication systems. A proposed ship repair and maritime infrastructure cluster at Vadinar in Gujarat was also announced, expected to reinforce the government’s Make in India initiative and strengthen India’s maritime ecosystem. An arrangement on skill development in ship repair was additionally signed to build India’s maritime workforce capabilities.
Technology and Computing
In a significant technology milestone, India and the UAE agreed to establish an eight Exaflop supercomputer cluster involving India’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and UAE-based technology firm G42. The collaboration signals a deepening of the two countries’ ambitions in advanced computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
UAE Investment Commitments
The UAE announced investment commitments worth $5 billion across Indian infrastructure and financial institutions, further cementing economic ties. This comes amid a broader push by both governments to elevate bilateral trade and investment flows, building on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed in 2022.
What Modi Said
Sharing his remarks on social media platform X, Modi described the outcomes as “substantive” and said they would strengthen the growing India-UAE partnership across strategic sectors. “Substantive outcomes, which will add vigour to the India-UAE friendship,” he posted. The visit, though a stopover, was carefully structured to deliver concrete deliverables across multiple sectors rather than broad declarations of intent.
With guidelines and implementation timelines expected to follow, the agreements are set to shape the India-UAE strategic relationship well into the next decade.
Point of View
And the sectoral spread — from petroleum reserves to exascale computing — suggests both sides came prepared with pre-negotiated texts rather than broad intent. The ADNOC-ISPRL deal is particularly significant: India’s strategic petroleum reserve capacity remains well below the IEA’s 90-day benchmark, and Gulf partnerships are the fastest route to closing that gap. The $5 billion UAE investment commitment, meanwhile, needs scrutiny — similar pledges in past bilateral summits have not always translated into deployed capital on schedule. The real test of this stopover’s worth will be implementation timelines, not headline numbers.
NationPress
3 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What agreements did India and UAE sign during PM Modi’s visit?
India and the UAE signed seven major agreements covering energy security, defence manufacturing, maritime infrastructure, advanced computing, and investments on 15 May 2025. Key deals included an ISPRL-ADNOC petroleum reserves collaboration, a Strategic Defence Partnership framework, an eight Exaflop supercomputer cluster with G42, and a $5 billion UAE investment commitment.
What is the India-UAE Strategic Defence Partnership?
The Strategic Defence Partnership is a framework agreed upon during Modi’s UAE stopover covering defence manufacturing, military training, maritime security, cyber defence, innovation, and secure communication systems. It formalises defence cooperation between the two countries across both conventional and emerging security domains.
What is the significance of the ISPRL-ADNOC agreement?
The agreement between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company aims to strengthen India’s energy security by expanding its strategic petroleum reserves. It also opens avenues for cooperation in India’s LNG and LPG infrastructure sectors, reducing vulnerability to global supply shocks.
What is the eight Exaflop supercomputer deal between India and UAE?
India’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and UAE-based technology firm G42 agreed to establish an eight Exaflop supercomputer cluster. This positions both countries to collaborate on high-performance computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure at a significant scale.
How much has the UAE committed to invest in India?
The UAE announced investment commitments worth $5 billion across Indian infrastructure and financial institutions during Modi’s 15 May stopover. This builds on the economic relationship deepened by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed in 2022.
