Core42, a unit of Abu Dhabi's artificial intelligence and cloud company G42, sees the use of Nvidia's AI chips as vital to protecting the integrity of UAE technology, with such processors backed by US-mandated control, its executive vice president has said.
The company on Wednesday announced it will be using Nvidia's H100 Tensor Core GPUs in the UAE, allowing it to provide scalable AI resources, while "eliminating the need for customers to own physical infrastructure and providing the tools necessary to navigate complex data sovereignty and regulatory requirements", a Core42 statement read.
That will help provide advanced layers of protection for data, at a time where demand is booming and more users rely on services such as the cloud and data centres to responsibly store and manage their information, Talal Al Kaissi said in an interview.
"There's a domestic regulatory regime, and then there's the US regulatory environment in controlling advanced US technologies and export controls more broadly," Mr Al Kaissi, who is also Core42's chief government affairs and partnerships officer, he told The National on Thursday.
"Since these technologies come from the US ... to a great extent we have a first-mover advantage in being able to create an environment that delivers and inspires confidence to ensure that we are mitigating against the risks of diversion or access by unauthorised parties."
The development is key: Washington last year halted shipments of Nvidia and US peer Advanced Micro Devices beyond China to some parts of the Middle East. The US imposes export controls when it perceives threats to national security; China, which has ties in the Middle East, has long been alleged by Washington as such.
The US has also reportedly been considering allowing Nvidia chip exports to Saudi Arabia, which, alongside the UAE, has also been at the forefront of advancing the Middle East technology landscape.
Nvidia is based in California but is heavily dependent on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for the assembly of its chips. At the time it said the restrictions would not significantly affect its bottom line.
Mr Al Kaissi noted Core42 had "invested heavily" over the past eight to 12 months, "readying the environment that would inspire the level of confidence to ensure compliance".
"This is our first of several deployments both in the UAE as well as in other parts of the world," he added, alluding to Core42's plans to expand its portfolio beyond the region.
Core42 plans to employ its infrastructure in key markets "in a way that is compliant with regulations", Mr Al Kaissi said.
"What it means for the UAE and Middle East, more broadly, is we are becoming a centre of gravity, at least in the UAE for AI, and a key component and needle-mover in the global effort towards augmenting human ingenuity by providing this technology, and enabling industries at scale to leverage AI."
Core42 was formed last year from a merger of three G42 units – G42 Cloud, its research and development arm Inception and ICT arm Injazat – combining G42's disciplines into a single platform for the public sector and large enterprises, centred on the sovereign cloud, generative AI, cyber security, and professional and managed services.
Aside from Nvidia, it is also working closely with Microsoft, which, Mr Al Kaissi said, helps Core42 deliver public cloud services "in a controlled manner", and ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which formed a partnership with G42 last year as part of its Middle East expansion plans.
“We see tremendous opportunity in the Middle East and are working with leading organisations in the region to accelerate AI adoption," Nvidia's regional director Marc Domenech said. "Our collaboration with Core42 provides businesses in the region with secure and reliable access to world-class AI resources."
