The United Arab Emirates and France have agreed to collaborate on the development of artificial intelligence to become regional centers for this technology, after Abu Dhabi will close a historic investment agreement with the American software giant Microsoft Corp.
France and the UAE have committed to investing together in talent, data centers, including quantum computing, and semiconductors, the French Minister of Economy and Finance stated on Tuesday, Bruno Le Maireat an event held in Abu Dhabi. They will also work to maximize the practical uses of the technology, she said.
The agreement between the French Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council of Abu Dhabi was signed by Le Maire and Khaldoon Al MubarakCouncil member.
The AI “has the potential to significantly improve many sectors, creating more opportunities for UAE-France cooperation,” including healthcare, clean energy and climate research, he said. Al Mubarakwho is also executive director of the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi Mubadala Investment Co.
The development of the AI It is increasingly political. Governments strive to promote local startups, while foreign investment often strengthens diplomatic ties. For example, the startup AI G42supported by the UAEobtained an investment of 1.5 billion dollars from Microsoftafter she agreed to cut ties with China to calm the concerns of the US government.
The United Arab Emirates and France They intend to develop existing projects, such as the chip factory near Grenoble. The French facilities are being built by the Franco-Italian company STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundriesan American semiconductor manufacturer backed by Mubadala.
The alliance with France allows the UAE access an expanding European center for AI. France was the second most popular investment destination for tech investors in Europe after the UK, with companies raising $8 billion in 2023, according to data collected by venture capital firm Atomic.
ha French company artificial intelligence created this year by former developers of Google DeepMindalso announced on Tuesday that it had raised $220 million from investors such as Bernard Arnault and Eric Schmidt, along with a number of investors and technology companies. This figure follows the more than $500 million that Parisian AI company Mistral has raised since its creation early last year.
Microsoft last week announced plans to invest $4.3 billion in building cloud infrastructure and AI in France.
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