Data sovereignty refers to the concept that data is subject to the laws and governance of the country where it is collected or stored. In the UAE, data sovereignty requirements mean that certain types of data — particularly government, financial, and healthcare data — must be stored within the country's borders. Azure UAE North (Dubai) and UAE Central (Abu Dhabi) data centers enable UAE businesses to meet data sovereignty requirements while using cloud services. NESA and sector-specific regulators enforce these requirements for critical infrastructure.