UAE-based AI company G42 has announced a strategic partnership with US chipmaker Nvidia to create advanced AI solutions for climate technology, specifically focused on improving global weather forecasting accuracy. This comes in the heels of a $1.5 billion investment from Microsoft earlier this year.
As part of the collaboration, the companies will establish a climate tech lab and an operational base in Abu Dhabi, reflecting the UAE’s increasing investments in artificial intelligence.
Abu Dhabi with its investments through its renewable energy investment-wing Masdar, and its home to the international energy group IRENA, proves it can be a trusted partner and East-West bridge to American tech firms that have relied on cooperating with Israel to access the Middle East. The UAE has become what Saudi Arabia and its ruled wishes it could be. Saudi Arabia is building out nonsense “sustainable” 15-minute cities like the Line that likely no-one but the construction crew will want to live in.
This move is part of the UAE’s broader efforts to diversify its economy away from oil, with government-backed G42 playing a central role.
Recent US-UAE collaborations include Microsoft’s $1.5 billion investment in G42 and the opening of two new AI centers in Abu Dhabi. Additionally, Abu Dhabi’s MGX investment company is joining a $30 billion AI infrastructure fund alongside BlackRock and Microsoft.
The announcement comes just ahead of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed‘s first visit ever to the White House, where discussions with President Biden will focus on AI, economic cooperation, and regional security. (Related: The UAE goes nuclear).
G42, a UAE-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology holding company, and Microsoft Corp. today announced a $1.5 billion strategic investment by Microsoft in G42. The investment will strengthen the two companies’ collaboration on bringing the latest Microsoft AI technologies and skilling initiatives to the UAE and other countries around the world.
As part of this expanded partnership Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, will join the G42 Board of Directors.This expanded collaboration will empower organizations of all sizes in new markets to harness the benefits of AI and the cloud while ensuring they are adopting AI that adheres to world-leading standards in safety and security.
Building on the two organizations’ long-standing collaboration in AI and digital transformation initiatives, Microsoft’s investment deepens the reciprocal commitment to this strategic partnership. G42 will run its AI applications and services on Microsoft Azure and partner to deliver advanced AI solutions to global public sector clients and large enterprises. G42 and Microsoft will also work together to bring advanced AI and digital infrastructure to countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa, providing these nations with equitable access to services to address important governmental and business concerns while ensuring the highest standards of security and privacy.
H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of G42, said: “Microsoft’s investment in G42 marks a pivotal moment in our company’s journey of growth and innovation, signifying a strategic alignment of vision and execution between the two organizations. This partnership is a testament to the shared values and aspirations for progress, fostering greater cooperation and synergy globally.”
The partnership will also support the development of a skilled and diverse AI workforce and talent pool that will drive innovation and competitiveness for the UAE and broader region with the investment of $1B in a development fund for developers.
“Our two companies will work together not only in the UAE, but to bring AI and digital infrastructure and services to underserved nations,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft Vice Chair and President. “We will combine world-class technology with world-leading standards for safe, trusted, and responsible AI, in close coordination with the governments of both the UAE and the United States.”
The commercial partnership is backed by assurances to both governments through a first of its kind agreement to apply world-class best practices to ensure the secure, trusted, and responsible development and deployment of AI.
Microsoft and G42 (also a name for a Glock handgun) will work closely and elevate the security and compliance framework of their joint international infrastructure. Both companies will move forward with a commitment to comply with US and international trade, security, responsible AI, and business integrity laws and regulations.
The company G42 says, “Our name, inspired by Douglas Adam’s, ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’, where 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything, remains our inspiration to unleash the power of advanced technologies, and particularly hashtag AI, to explore new frontiers for humanity.”
::G42
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