By Federico Maccioni
DUBAI (Reuters) – United Arab Emirates-based artificial intelligence company G42 has teamed up with U.S. chipmaker Nvidia to work on climate tech, G42 said on Friday, ahead of the first-ever visit to the White House by a president of the UAE next week.
The Gulf-based company said in a statement the two firms would work together develop AI solutions aimed at boosting weather forecasting accuracy globally and will set up an operational base and climate tech lab in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE, led by government-backed G42, is investing heavily in AI to help diversify its economy away from oil and UAE-based companies have forged several deals with U.S. firms recently.
Microsoft announced in April it was investing $1.5 billion in G42, while this week the two firms said they would open two centres in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi-backed investment company MGX is also joining as a general partner in a $30 billion fund with BlackRock and Microsoft to invest in AI infrastructure.
Still, Washington has been increasingly concerned about the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries becoming a conduit for advanced U.S. AI technology reaching China. Last year it imposed new curbs on AI chip exports, imposing a licensing requirement on their shipment to these countries.
UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is scheduled to visit Washington on Monday.
He will meet U.S. President Joe Biden and discuss Middle East regional security issues as well as advanced technology and AI development, the White House said.
He is also set to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris as well as business executives, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president told journalists in a briefing on Thursday, adding that the main focus of the visit would be economy and cooperation in fields such as AI.
“Sometimes people like to talk about some tensions in the relationship, but the big story is that this is our most important strategic relationship,” Gargash said.
(Reporting by Federico Maccioni)
