Microsoft has announced that it is expanding its partnership with Abu Dhabi, UAE-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing vendor G42 Group to develop AI technologies in a number of areas and provide cloud infrastructure services in the UAE.
The partnership will bring Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing service, and its AI business to the UAE for use by government agencies and companies across a wide range of industries, while also enabling local customers to meet UAE government regulatory and privacy requirements.
As the partnership deepens, the two companies will introduce industry-specific AI solutions to major projects, including the COP28 climate conference in Dubai later in the year.
In the future, Microsoft’s cloud computing services will be hosted at the Khazna Data Center and made available to local customers. The data center is said to be a joint venture between G42 Group and Emirates Telecommunications Corporation.
Commenting on the partnership, Judson Althoff, Chief Commercial Officer of Microsoft, said that privacy, information security and regulatory compliance will be a top priority for the two companies and that there is a significant opportunity for both companies to help businesses and organizations in the UAE to innovate responsibly with technology.
XPeng, CEO of G42 Group, said that the partnership with Microsoft will allow G42 Group to make substantial technological innovations in many key areas.
G42 Group reportedly has a wide range of businesses under its umbrella, including AIQ, a joint venture with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to help optimize business processes for the oil company and the oil industry as a whole.
G42 Group, which is chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security advisor, is said to be a pioneering company in the UAE in developing AI technology. In addition to Microsoft, G42 Group’s partners include Cerebras Systems, a company that recently built an AI supercomputer using a technology that is a parallel alternative to NVIDIA.
Last month, G42 Group unveiled its latest AI achievement, which it describes as “the world’s highest-quality Arabic AI macrolanguage model”.
Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, G42 Group is also involved in cloud computing and self-driving cars, in addition to AI. Last year, the group launched its $10 billion “42X Fund,” which it says will invest in a variety of tech companies in emerging market countries.
