- Microsoft Corp. is expanding its collaboration with Abu Dhabi's Group 42 (G42) to introduce sovereign cloud infrastructure within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This initiative aims to provide the UAE public sector and regulated industries with access to Microsoft's Azure cloud platform and artificial intelligence capabilities, facilitating compliance with local privacy and regulatory requirements, as jointly announced by the two companies. This partnership will expand Microsoft's Azure services within the UAE, leveraging Khazna Data Centers, a joint venture between G42 and Emirates Telecom.
- With a steadfast focus on data privacy, security, and regulatory compliance, Microsoft's Chief Commercial Officer, Judson Althoff, emphasized the unique opportunity to support responsible innovation among organizations in the UAE through this partnership.In the future, Microsoft and G42 plan to develop industry-specific artificial intelligence solutions for significant projects, potentially including the COP28 climate summit scheduled to take place in Dubai later this year.
Why it matters
G42, under the leadership of National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has played a pivotal role in Abu Dhabi's advancement in artificial intelligence. G42 has also collaborated with Cerebras Systems Inc. in the development of AI supercomputers and unveiled what they claim to be the "world's highest quality Arabic Large Language Model." The company's diverse portfolio spans cloud computing to autonomous vehicles, and it established the $10 billion 42XFund to invest in technology companies across emerging markets last year.
