G42 

Abu Dhabi-based G42 has emerged as one of the UAE’s most strategically important artificial-intelligence companies, with activities spanning AI infrastructure, sovereign cloud computing, data centres, advanced computing and industry-specific technology applications. Born in Abu Dhabi, the group is chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan and led by group chief executive Peng Xiao. G42 identifies Mubadala, Silver Lake, Microsoft and the Dalio Family Office among its major investors. A major turning point came in April 2024, when Microsoft announced a $1.5bn strategic investment in G42.

As part of the partnership, Microsoft vice-chair and president Brad Smith joined G42’s board. The companies also committed to support a $1bn development fund aimed at building AI capabilities and talent. The partnership has since moved deeper into infrastructure. G42 and Microsoft announced an additional 200MW of data-centre capacity in the UAE through G42 subsidiary Khazna Data Centers, with capacity expected to begin coming online before the end of 2026.

International expansion is also accelerating. Core42, G42’s sovereign cloud and AI-infrastructure business, announced a 42MW expansion at Lake Mariner in New York, increasing capacity at the site from 18MW to 60MW. Core42 also operates infrastructure elsewhere in the US and across a wider international network. The most ambitious project is Stargate UAE. G42, OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, SoftBank and Cisco are working on a 1GW AI-compute cluster within a planned 5GW UAE-US AI campus in Abu Dhabi. The first 200MW cluster is expected to become operational in 2026. G42 is building the infrastructure, with OpenAI and Oracle set to operate the cluster.

G42 has helped develop platforms such as M42 in healthcare, reflecting a strategy that extends from infrastructure into sector-specific applications.