AI collaboration is accelerating digital transformation by at least 10 years, in some parts of the world, according to G42, a UAE-based leading technology holding group.
During the GITEX 2024 conference, held in Dubai, the company’s leadership highlighted the promise of AI, and its potential to create an “intelligence grid”, akin to the electrical one, which powers every city, home and business. To leverage the power of the technology, G42 has signed strategic partnerships with leading US technology firms such as NVIDIA, Cerebras and OpenAI, and attracted a $1.5 billion investment from Microsoft.
“We realised that, if we really wanted to be, to continue to be, at the forefront of this industry, we had to partner with the best in the world in this space. And thus we made a commercial decision to work more closely with partners like Microsoft, with Nvidia and others,” said Giacomo Ziani, VP of Corporate Marketing and Communications in an exclusive interview.
Discussing the partnership with Microsoft, Ziani added, “I think there are a lot of core innovation opportunities between the two organisations where we can leverage each other’s strength to take AI delivery to the next level.”
Collaborating on cloud and genAI
The relationship between G42 and Microsoft began in 2022, driven by a commercial interest in cloud infrastructure collaboration and developed into an AI-focused partnership. In April, it matured into a $1.5 billion investment in G42 from the US tech giant. The agreement also saw Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President Brad Smith take a seat on the G42 board and the announcement of the establishment of a $1 billion fund for developers.
“This is extremely exciting,” Ziani added. “There are a lot of things we’re looking to do together, initiatives that are already in progress.”
The two companies have already announced a series of projects, including the development of responsible AI centres in Abu Dhabi, as well as a comprehensive package of digital investments in Kenya, as part of an initiative with the Republic of Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy.
The collaboration between G42 and Microsoft has opened the doors to further international agreements, including a partnership with Sam Altman’s OpenAI, announced at last year’s GITEX conference, to deploy AI capabilities. Nonetheless, Ziani describes that collaboration as a much “narrow-scope collaboration”, that looks at tailoring, OpenAI models and solutions to specific geographies and industries within the region.
Working with Nvidia
“Nvidia is the engine behind this AI revolution,” Ziani said. “We’re very proud to be working very closely with them.” The two companies have recently announced the launch of a Climate Tech Lab in Abu Dhabi. Using Nvidia’s Earth-2 platform, the lab aims to improve weather forecasts and work towards anticipating potential climate-related disasters here for the region, “and hopefully more broadly, very, very soon”, according to Ziani.
Moreover, G42’s Core42 has also partnered with the US chipmaker to realise the first deployment of Nvidia chips in the region within their infrastructure. “It’s a very promising relationship that hopefully will grow stronger and stronger over the coming months,” Ziani added.
Expanding across the Global South
In addition to building AI capabilities with the region, G42 is expected to work with its partners to expand its reach internationally, particularly across the Global South.
“It has always been in G42’s DNA, this idea of bringing AI technology to some of those regions that have previously been underserved or underrepresented in other technology waves, like cloud, for example,” Ziani said. “I think a big part of our collaborations will focus on some of those regions.
“The opportunity is and the ambition is pretty much limitless,” he added. “I think we will see more and more happening and being announced in the coming weeks.”
During a panel discussion, G42’s CEO Peng Xiao highlighted G42’s mission to increase global access to AI, and the company’s emphasis on collaborating with local technology partners in Africa and Southeast Asia to ensure that AI infrastructure is developed in those regions. Ziani stressed the importance of that vision. “The ambition is to grow our footprint globally, and with more partnerships, more collaborations and more customers outside of this region,” he said.
