HUMAIN to soon ship AI PCs; G42 to sell $100m in Presight shares
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News email digest, brought to you by big data analytics and AI company Presight!
September seems to have started with a bang! G42 announced its intention to sell $100 million of Presight shares to international investor(s); G42 group company Khazna secures $2.6 billion in finance for its data centre build-out; and HUMAIN plans to begin selling its own AI PCs in October!
Thank you for reading! And if you’d like to find out more about our Strategic Sponsor Presight, find out more here!
🎤 And lastly, today marks the return of the Middle East AI News LIVE weekly show the THURSDAY DEEP DIVE! Join us live online from 12 noon KSA | 1pm GST! 🎤
/Carrington
AI PCs
HUMAIN to launch own AI PCs
#Saudi #AIPC– HUMAIN will release its first Saudi-designed AI PCs in October, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Elite chipsets and Arabic ALLaM models. Designed by its Edge Devices team in Riyadh, the notebooks are targeted at students and enterprises across the Middle East and Africa. (Middle East AI News)
Investment
Khazna secures $2.62 billion UAE finance facility
#UAE #finance – Khazna Data Centers has secured $2.62 billion in financing from ADCB and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), marking one of the region’s largest-ever such deals. The funds will support new facilities in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, plus the first AI-enabled data centre in Ajman, alongside international expansion. Khazna
G42 to sell Presight stake of $100 million
#UAE #AI – Abu Dhabi’s G42 will sell a $100 million stake in Presight AI Holding (ADX:PRESIGHT) to institutional investors, reducing its shareholding from 70.5% to 68.5%. Presight’s share price has surged 67% this year. (Middle East AI News)
Startups
Intella raises $12.5 million for Arabic AI speech
#Saudi #funding – Riyadh-based Intella has secured $12.5 million in Series A funding led by Prosus Ventures. The Arabic speech pioneer will scale its AI models across 25 dialects and expand into MENA markets, targeting growth in voice recognition technologies tailored for the region. (Middle East AI News)
QIA backs Anthropic’s $13 billion Series F
#Qatar #funding – Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has joined Anthropic’s $13 billion Series F fundraise, led by ICONIQ with major global investors. The round values the AI safety company at $183 billion, reinforcing its position as a leading enterprise intelligence platform. (The Peninsula)
216 Capital backs Tunisia’s Addvocate.ai
#Tunisia #Startups – 216 Capital has invested in Franco-Tunisian startup Addvocate.ai, which uses AI to boost sales performance. The funding will help the company evolve into a full sales intelligence platform. (AfricanManager)
Hub71 brings 21 AI startups to UAE
#UAE #startups – Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 has welcomed 21 AI startups from 12 countries, its most AI-intensive cohort to date. The companies, which have collectively raised over $223 million, will focus on innovations in healthcare, energy, finance and climate technology. (Middle East AI News)
Saudi Arabia launches $400 million Estrdad programme
#Saudi #SMEs – Saudi Arabia has launched the SR1.5 billion ($400m) Estrdad initiative to refund fees for micro, small and medium enterprises. Eligible firms can reclaim 10 categories of charges, including 80% of the expatriate levy. The first programme aided 27,000 firms and created 89,000 jobs. (Saudi Gazette)
Education
Egypt calls for Arab AI ministers’ council
#Egypt #AI – Egypt’s Communications Minister Amr Talaat has proposed establishing an Arab Council of Ministers for AI and Emerging Technologies. Speaking at the first Arab AI Forum, he urged the Arab League to unify AI policies, enhance regional cooperation, and drive stronger participation in the global AI arena. (Middle East AI News(
AI Campus
Ooredoo, Qatar Airways in AI pact
#Qatar #ecosystem – Ooredoo and Qatar Airways have signed a strategic agreement to develop Qatar into a hub for AI, cloud and cybersecurity. The partnership will combine infrastructure and workforce training, building on Ooredoo’s recent deployment of NVIDIA GPUs for high-performance computing. (Zawya)
G42 seeks new AI chip suppliers
#UAE #AIchips – Abu Dhabi’s G42 is diversifying chip suppliers for the UAE–U.S. AI campus announced in May, in talks with AMD, Cerebras and Qualcomm alongside Nvidia, according toa report by Semaphor. (Reuters)
Policy
Qatar to set up National AI Center
#Qatar #regulation – Qatar’s Cabinet has approved a draft resolution to establish the National Center for Artificial Intelligence within the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The move aims to boost institutional capacity, regulate AI development, and strengthen Qatar’s role in digital transformation. (The Peninsula)
Morocco, Egypt agree AI partnership
#Morocco #bilaterals – Morocco and Egypt will develop a strategic AI partnership following a ministerial meeting this week. The initiative will focus on joint projects and regional collaboration in emerging technologies, strengthening both countries’ positions in the Arab and African AI landscape. (APA News)
Riyadh hosts AI ethics dialogue
#Saudi #ethics – ICAIRE (The International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics) in Riyadh gathered Arab states and global experts to align on AI ethics. Discussions focused on clear standards, safeguards, and coordinated policies to ensure responsible adoption of emerging technologies. (SPA)
Trends
UAE, Saudi lead AI consumer trends
#UAE #habits – Deloitte’s 2025 Digital Consumer Trends 2025 report shows 58% of consumers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia have used generative AI tools, while smartphones dominate at 96% daily usage. Access the report. (Zawya)
Education
Egypt adds AI to high school curriculum
#Egypt #schools – Egypt will introduce AI as a subject in high schools from next year, working with a Japanese education technology provider. The course aims to provide both theoretical and practical AI skills, modernise curricula, and prepare students for careers by bridging the education-to-workforce gap. (Amwal Al Ghad)
Egypt’s NTI partners with firms on AI skills
#Egypt #training – Egypt’s National Telecommunication Institute has signed agreements with Data Company – FDSI and Digital Fortress EG to boost AI and digital skills training. (TechAfrica News)
Satellite
UAE’s Space42 inks Angola AI, space deal
#UAE #satellite – UAE-based Space42 has signed a five-year MoU with Angola’s Military Intelligence and Security Service to deepen cooperation in AI, satellite communications, geospatial analytics and national security tech. The pact coincided with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s state visit to Angola. (iAfrica)
Events
Egypt to host Ai Everything MEA 2026
#Egypt #AiEverything – Cairo will host the inaugural Ai Everything Middle East & Africa from 10–12 February 2026, organised by GITEX GLOBAL with the Ministry of Communications and IT and ITIDA. (Zawya)
[ This newsletter was AI edited & human edited ]