UAE and France partner to advance global AI ecosystem

Image credit: Antoine Gyori – Corbis/ Getty Images

The Abu Dhabi Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC) has partnered with the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty to develop the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystems in the two countries through joint investment programmes.

The UAE and France will explore investment opportunities in start-ups and investment funds focused on AI models, AI applications in key sectors such as health and financial services, and next-generation hardware.

The two countries will explore opportunities for bilateral production and offtake of semiconductors, including leading-edge and essential chips for AI applications. They will also explore an education initiative aimed at offering AI training to nurture and develop talent across the UAE and French AI ecosystems.

The partnership cover various areas of collaboration, including the establishment of data centers and supercomputing infrastructure buildout.

Earlier in May, France’s finance minister said his country was open to UAE investing in its nuclear power and AI. French Finance Minister Bruno le Maire told reporters that France would welcome Emirati investments into its nuclear industry such as in nuclear fuel specialist Orano, which the government majority owns.

Last month, Microsoft said it would invest $1.5bn in Abu Dhabi-based AI firm G42, allowing the two entities to deepen ties amid the global battle for tech dominance.

G42 has been at the forefront of the UAE’s push into AI. The AI firm agreed to collaborate with Qualcomm in April, under which its subsidiary Core42 would feature the US firm’s Cloud AI 100 products in its Condor AI platform.

Presight AI Holding, another UAE AI firm, partnered with cloud computing and PC solutions firm Intel earto accelerate applied AI projects and develop cutting-edge AI solutions in the Middle East.