Abu Dhabi's G42 sets up new unit to serve AI market in Europe and UK

UAE firm opens base in London to collaborate with governments and private sector

G42 has been at the forefront of Abu Dhabi and the UAE's efforts to extend AI reach around the world. Leslie Pableo for The National

UAE artificial intelligence major G42 has set up a new unit that will serve the European and British markets, following up on its recent partnerships in the continent to expand its global reach.

The subsidiary, G42 Europe and UK, will focus on providing AI solutions to the private sector and team up with governments and industries to develop critical AI infrastructure across the continent, the Abu Dhabi-based company said on Friday.

The unit in London will cater to sectors including financial services, health care, manufacturing and energy, it said.

G42 Europe and UK will be co-chaired by Omar Mir, a board member at US tech consultancy World Wide Technology, and Marty Edelman, group general counsel of G42.

“Our goal is to harness G42’s proven AI expertise and localise it for European and UK businesses, fuelling digital transformation, enhancing competitiveness and building resilient, sovereign AI infrastructure," Mr Mir said.

The move comes as the UAE continues to expand its technological footprint, especially in AI, which is being harnessed for its transformative potential for economies and societies.

Trump unveils $500 billion boost in AI infrastructure

00:45

It also follows a flurry of collaborations aimed at strengthening G42's partnership network. Last month, G42 teamed up with France's Mistral AI to develop advanced AI platforms and infrastructure.

Shortly before that, Abu Dhabi AI investment company MGX, AI chip leader Nvidia and French companies joined forces to build the largest AI campus in Europe.

Also in May, G42 and Italian start-up iGenius said they would be developing a major AI supercomputer, part of a broader strategy announced during a bilateral summit in February, in which the UAE pledged to invest $40 billion in Italy, Europe's fourth-biggest economy.

G42 had also announced a partnership with World Wide Technology to help the UAE export AI solutions.

Topping off G42's announcements last month was Stargate UAE, a mega 5-gigawatt data centre to be built in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with technology giants OpenAI, Oracle and Nvidia, alongside Cisco and Japan's SoftBank Group.

G42 sees Europe and the UK as a "dynamic market with immense opportunity for AI-driven innovation" and will engage in "deep regulatory understanding", Mr Edelman said.

G42 was also reported to be embarking on an expansion in the US and, before the arrival of US President Donald Trump to the UAE in mid-May, the company signed an initial agreement with US technology company Cisco to explore AI infrastructure development across the public and private sectors.