Italy-UAE $40 billion deal; e& exits Khazna Data Centers
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
Good morning!
Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News!
So many big stories to share and only one newsletter to share them all in! Top stories include the UAE’s science and tech focused $40 billion bilateral deal with Italy; big news from Qatar from the Web Summit Qatar this week; e&’s exit from G42 data centre joint venture Khazna; Presight’s huge Albania smart cities deal; IBM’s deal with Riyadh Air to integrate AI throughout its enterprise; and much more!
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Bilaterials
UAE commits to $40 billion investment in Italy
#UAE #investment – The UAE has pledged $40 billion in investments across Italian industries, prioritising AI, space, and renewable energy. Among the 40 agreements signed, Abu Dhabi’s MGX AI fund and G42 formed a strategic partnership with Italy’s ENI. (Middle East AI News)
Qatar and Uzbekistan sign digital transformation MoU
#Qatar #WebSummitQatar – Invest Qatar has signed a strategic partnership with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies to drive digital transformation and investment. The agreement, unveiled at Web Summit Qatar 2025, aims to boost tech collaboration between the two nations. (Middle East AI News)
Data Centres
Khazna Data Centers welcomes new investors as e& exits
#UAE #investment – Khazna Data Centers has brought in MGX and Silver Lake as minority investors as e& sells its 40% stake in the company to G42 for $2.2 billion. The deal, closing in Q1 2025, secures e& a capital gain of $1.4 billion before federal royalty and tax. (Middle East AI News)
New Deals
Albania selects Presight for national smart cities project
#Albania #smartcities – Abu Dhabi-based Presight has signed an agreement to develop smart city infrastructure across 20 Albanian cities. The AI-driven initiative, backed by the UAE’s leadership, aims to position Albania as a European leader in smart nation technologies. (Middle East AI News)
Riyadh Air partners with IBM to build AI-powered airline
#Saudi #aviation – Riyadh Air has selected IBM to integrate AI solutions across its operations, aiming to become the world’s first fully digital-native airline. The airline, set to launch in late 2025, will use AI to enhance customer and employee experiences. (Middle East AI News)
Qatar partners with Scale AI for public sector AI
#Qatar #WebSummitQatar – Qatar’s Ministry of Communications has signed a five-year partnership with Scale AI to integrate AI into public services. The US-based firm could develop more than 50 AI applications under the agreement. The company is also a key sponsor of Web Summit Qatar. (Middle East AI News)
Thailand’s TIDC partners with G42 for AI and cloud
#Thailand #infrastructure – Thailand’s International Digital Business & Finance Centre (TIDC) has signed an MoU with G42 to advance AI and cloud capabilities. The collaboration will focus on digital infrastructure, AI value chain development, and talent training. (Middle East AI News)
MWC25
GSMA releases telecom AI benchmarks ahead of MWC 2025
#Spain #UAE #MWC25 – GSMA has introduced the first AI benchmarking framework for telecom-specific LLMs, evaluating real-world performance and sustainability. Developed with Hugging Face, Khalifa University, and The Linux Foundation, the initiative includes four benchmark tests to assess AI models for the telecom sector. (Middle East AI News)
Transport
Dubai deploys AI-driven traffic signal upgrade
#UAE #smartcities – Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is rolling out an AI-powered traffic signal system using predictive analytics and digital twin technology. The UTC-UX Fusion system aims to cut congestion by 20% and enhance journey times. The upgrade, part of Dubai’s smart city strategy, will be completed by mid-2026. (Middle East AI News)
Funding
Prosperity7 joins $305 million Together AI funding
#Saudi #funding – Aramco’s $3 billion VC fund, Prosperity7 Ventures, co-led a $305 million funding round for US-based Together AI, alongside General Catalyst. The investment brings Together AI’s valuation to $3.3 billion as it expands its AI model development. (Investing.com)
Journify secures $4 million to enhance AI-driven marketing data
#UAE #funding – US and UAE-based martech firm Journify has raised $4 million to expand its AI-powered customer data platform. Led by Silicon Badia with backing from Saudi’s RZM, the investment will enhance Journify’s solutions for real-time first-party data activation amid growing privacy regulations. (Middle East AI News)
Egypt’s Q Me raises $3 million to expand AI platform
#Egypt #SaaS – Egypt-based SaaS startup Qme has secured $3 million in seed funding, led by UAE’s AI group AHOY. Qme’s AI-powered platform improves queuing and appointment systems. The company plans to use the funding for technology development and regional expansion. (MSN)
Innovation
Presight unveils AI-driven enterprise platform Synergy
#UAE #platforms – Presight has launched Presight Synergy, an AI-powered enterprise platform designed to unify data management, AI analytics, and business intelligence. The platform aims to streamline AI adoption across sectors, including finance, energy, and public services. (Middle East AI News)
Education
MBZUAI Executive Programme open for Gulf leaders
#UAE #exectraining – Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has opened applications for its Executive Programme. Aimed at business and government leaders, it provides hands-on AI experience and strategic insights. The deadline for applications is March 16. (MBZUAI)
UAE schools block ChatGPT amid academic concerns
#UAE #GenAI– Several UAE schools have restricted access to ChatGPT to uphold academic integrity. Educators cite concerns over AI-generated content and plagiarism. The move reflects growing debates on AI's role in education worldwide. (Gulf News)
Media
Bahrain TV debuts AI-generated Ramadan content
#Bahrain #AI – Bahrain’s Ministry of Information has produced 15 AI-generated television segments for Ramadan, marking its first use of AI in video content. The programmes, set to air on Bahrain TV and government media platforms, highlight AI’s growing role in content creation. (GDN Online)
[ This newsletter was AI edited & human edited ]