Microsoft has announced a strategic collaboration with G42, a leading AI company in the UAE, to advance AI solutions across various industries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. This partnership aims to leverage Microsoft Azure's cloud and AI capabilities to deliver generative AI and next-generation infrastructure and services to sectors like finance, healthcare, energy, government, and education.
Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will invest $1.5 billion in G42 for a minority stake, and Brad Smith, Microsoft's Vice Chair and President, will join G42's board of directors. The collaboration seeks to utilize Microsoft Azure's cloud offerings, enabling G42 to migrate its data platform and technology infrastructure to enhance services and accelerate AI product development.
Microsoft emphasizes G42's expertise in AI technologies and its pivotal role in driving progress in the Middle East. G42's commitment to implementing Microsoft Cloud for Sovereignty in 2023 aimed to assist UAE-based organizations in securing sensitive data and complying with local privacy regulations.
Additionally, Microsoft announced that G42's Arabic Large Language Model (LLM), Jais, will be available in the Azure AI Model Catalog, expanding access to generative AI for over 400 million Arabic speakers. This move is expected to accelerate the adoption of G42's AI products and services through Microsoft Azure.
In a separate development, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the UAE's largest bank, partnered with Core42, a G42 subsidiary, to leverage Microsoft Azure for its digital transformation. FAB will transition its data centre and workload to Azure, utilizing Core42's sovereign controls platform to ensure data sovereignty and compliance with UAE regulations.
Overall, the collaboration between Microsoft and G42 aims to drive innovation in AI solutions across diverse industries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa, leveraging Microsoft Azure's cloud and AI capabilities to deliver transformative services and infrastructure.
