G42 nears big European AI compute deal - Bloomberg report
G42 negotiating major GPU capacity deal with Northern Data to support expansion
#UAE #UK #Germany #infrastructure - Abu Dhabi-based G42 is close to finalising a deal with Europe's largest cloud service provider Northern Data AG to access nearly half of its 23,000 NVIDIA GPUs to support the AI group’s European expansion, according to a Bloomberg report. The agreement would provide G42's cloud computing subsidiary Core42 with approximately 11,500 GPUs via Northern Data's Taiga Cloud, according to Bloomberg sources. The partnership would supports G42's recent launch of London-headquartered subsidiary G42 Europe & UK in June, which aims to deliver tailored AI solutions and infrastructure to enterprises and governments across the UK and continental Europe. Taiga Cloud’s Njoerd cluster in London was recently ranked as the 26th most powerful commercially available computer systems in the TOP500.
SO WHAT? - The Northern Data deal would dramatically expand G42’s access to AI compute in Europe in the short term, whilst it builds out its own greenfield data centres. This would support Core42’s European expansion following the opening of a G42 subsidiary in London and recent announcements of data centres and compute clusters in France and Italy. A partnership with sovereign cloud-focused Core42, could also bolster Taiga Cloud’s proposition for regulated industries and the public sector. Taiga Cloud is currently Europe's largest Generative AI cloud service.
Here are a few key points about the potential Northern Data deal:
Abu Dhabi’s AI powerhouse G42 is close to finalising an AI compute deal with Europe's largest cloud service provider Northern Data AG, according to a Bloomberg report.
The new deal would allow G42’s sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure subsidiary to access nearly half of the German company’s 23,000 NVIDIA GPUs to support the AI group’s European expansion
Northern Data operates one of Europe's largest GPU clusters through its Taiga Cloud business, with its London-based Njoerd cluster ranking 26th on the TOP500 list of most powerful commercially available computer systems.
The German provider develops high-performance computing solutions across Europe and North America, with offices in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, the UK, and USA, working with key vendors including AMD, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Nvidia, and VAST.
Core42 specialises in sovereign cloud, AI infrastructure, and digital services with active operations across UAE, US, France, Africa, and Southeast Asia, supporting highly regulated sectors requiring secure and auditable digital transformation.
G42 Europe & UK was launched in June as G42’s London-headquartered subsidiary, focused on delivering AI solutions to European private sector, whilst building government partnerships for critical AI infrastructure development.
The European expansion follows G42's recent announcements of data centres and compute clusters in France and Italy, positioning Core42 to serve European markets with sovereign cloud capabilities.
Although G42 already has agreements to build out several Gigawatts of AI data centre capacity in Europe, capacity is likely to be built out in phases, with some construction not scheduled to begin until 2026. Therefore, a deal with Northern Data, could provide immediate access to powerful AI compute resources.
Bloomerg reports that the deal terms remain subject to change with the agreement not yet finalised, according to the news group’s “sources familiar with the matter” who requested anonymity.
ZOOM OUT - G42's major infrastructure commitments across the continent open up huge opportunities for its sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure services arm Core42. The G42 subsidiary recently announced a €1 billion partnership with Italian AI company iGenius to develop the NVIDIA Blackwell-powered Colosseum supercomputer, whilst establishing an AMD-powered AI facility in Grenoble, France through a partnership with DataOne. G42 is also positioned to support Europe's largest AI campus development in the Paris region, a 1.4 gigawatt facility backed by Abu Dhabi investment company MGX alongside French national investment bank Bpifrance and AI company Mistral AI. However, AI compute capacity is likely to be phased in over several years and so the deal with Northern Data could provide more immediate access to compute to support near-term expansion.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Read more about G42’s European activities:
G42 opens European HQ in London (Middle East AI News)
MGX & Bpifrance back 1.4GW Paris AI Campus project (Middle East AI News)
G42 & Mistral AI announce strategic partnership (Middle East AI News)
G42, iGenius to build €1B AI supercomputer in Italy (Middle East AI News)
G42 & AMD to power AI data centre innovation in France (Middle East AI News)