Financial Services Association, April 16 (Editor: Huang Junzhi) In the increasingly intense artificial intelligence (AI) competition,$Microsoft (MSFT.US)$Another move. On Monday (15th) EST, the company announced that it will invest 1.5 billion US dollars in G42, the UAE's top artificial intelligence company.

As part of the partnership agreement, Microsoft President Brad Smith (Brad Smith) will join the G42 board of directors, and G42 will use Microsoft's Azure cloud to develop its artificial intelligence applications. The investment gave Microsoft a minority stake in G42.

Smith and G42 CEO Xiao Peng said in an interview that the agreement was drawn up after negotiations with the UAE and US governments and is a further expansion of the existing partnership between the two companies.

G42 has always been a leading AI company in the Middle East, and its business covers all fields from cloud computing to driverless cars. It is part of the vast corporate empire of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan), a member of the UAE's royal family and national security adviser.

G42 is the first national Internet platform in the UAE. It focuses on providing “water, electricity and coal” for the digital transformation of various industries in the UAE. Outsiders liken it to “Alibaba+Tencent in the Middle East.”

Specifically, the partnership will see G42 run its artificial intelligence applications and services on the Microsoft Azure cloud. The two companies will collaborate to provide artificial intelligence solutions to public sector customers and large enterprises around the world.

Additionally, G42 and Microsoft will work together to bring artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure to the Middle East, Central Asia, and African countries to provide fair service opportunities to resolve important government and commercial issues while ensuring the highest standards of security and privacy.

Xiao Peng said that this investment enabled Microsoft to obtain a minority stake in G42. He declined to disclose financial terms and did not want to reveal how much money G42 will invest in Microsoft's cloud services.

Microsoft uses this as a springboard to reach customers in Africa and Central Asia

Smith said that in the later stages of the agreement, Microsoft will host some of its own applications in the G42 data center and use this relationship to reach customers in Africa and Central Asia.

He said, “In these markets, Microsoft and other US technology companies have no real data centers. This partnership can actually bring cloud and artificial intelligence to those places, probably a decade faster than normal.”

Finally, it is reported that the partnership will also support the development of a skilled and diverse artificial intelligence workforce and talent pool, and promote innovation and competitiveness in the UAE and the wider region by investing $1 billion to establish a developer development fund.

Xiao said G42 is not seeking more investment, but it is seeking more partners. He said, “Through this anchoring relationship with Microsoft, we will be able to work with more global partners in the field of artificial intelligence and cloud computing.”

Editor/jayden