Microsoft Corporation is expanding its partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Group 42, and plans to offer sovereign cloud infrastructure in the UAE.
The move will give the UAE public sector and regulated industries access to cloud and artificial intelligence features on Microsoft’s Azure, and help them comply with local privacy and regulatory requirements, the companies said.
“With data privacy, security, and compliance as our core priorities, we have a unique opportunity to help organisations responsibly innovate,” Microsoft chief commercial officer Judson Althoff said.
Over time, the firms will look to bring industry-specific AI solutions on significant projects, including potentially the COP28 climate summit, set to be held in Dubai later this year. The partnership will see Microsoft expand its Azure service in the UAE through Khazna Data Centres, a joint venture company between G42 and Emirates Telecom.
G42, chaired by national security adviser Shaikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has been at the forefront of Abu Dhabi’s push into AI. It’s partnering with Cerebras Systems Inc., which recently built the first of nine AI supercomputers as an alternative to sys-tems using Nvidia Corp. technology. And last month, the firms unveiled what they called “the world’s highest quality Arabic Large Language Model.”
The Abu Dhabi-based company’s businesses range from cloud computing to driverless cars. Last year, it set up the $10 billion 42XFund to invest in technology companies across emerging markets.
“This strategic collaboration with Microsoft is not just about technology … it’s about creating a holistic ecosystem for societal resilience and growth,” Peng Xiao, group chief executive of G42, said.
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