#Oman #SovereignAI - Omantel’s technology subsidiary Otech and Omani AI engineering startup DeepAstra have launched the DeepAstra API, a locally hosted sovereign AI platform giving businesses access to multiple AI models through a single interface. Users connect once, test different models and pay based on usage, with local hosting designed to support data security, governance and compliance requirements. The new platform is designed to provide Omani SMEs with access to sovereign AI without having to build their own computing infrastructure.
SO WHAT? - Building AI infrastructure from scratch is the single biggest barrier stopping Omani SMEs and developers from moving past experimentation into actual products. By letting them access several AI models on a pay-as-you-go basis, hosted locally rather than through a foreign cloud provider, this platform removes both the cost barrier and the sovereignty concern in one move. The launch also helps to fill a market gap, since the country is currently not well served by sovereign AI solutions
KEY POINTS:
Omantel’s technology subsidiary Otech and Omani startup DeepAstra have launched the DeepAstra API, a locally hosted sovereign AI platform, marking the AI company’s first commercial launch since its formation last year.
The DeepAstra API gives institutions, companies, developers and SMEs access to multiple AI models through a unified interface, removing the need to build separate infrastructure and technical integration for each model used.
The service provides access to open-source AI models, giving institutions greater transparency and control over usage, access and permissions compared with relying on closed foreign platforms.
Local hosting is designed to support data security, compliance and governance requirements, giving institutions a controlled technological foundation to build and scale AI applications across sectors.
Under the partnership, Otech is responsible for making the service locally available and supporting institutional adoption, while DeepAstra provides the core technology, including the unified interface and model management.
Otech, says the platform provides a pathway from fragmented tools to an integrated environment that institutions can manage and develop according to their own priorities.
DeepAstra, founded in 2025, is part of the NVIDIA Inception Program and secured a strategic investment earlier this year from the Oman Future Fund via Omantel Ventures, paving the way for its launch and partnership with Otech.
Otech officially launched in February 2026 as Omantel’s technology subsidiary, positioning itself as a national digital transformation partner for government and industry across Oman.
ZOOM OUT - Oman has identified sovereign AI as a priority and has developed a number of key initiatives to create national capacity. In September 2025, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology unveiled Mu’een, the country's first national large language model. The LLM is trained on local datasets to reflect Omani dialect and culture and hosted securely within national boundaries. Access to Mu’een was first launched for government use, targeting 20,000 employees in its initial phase, with tasks spanning document analysis, summarisation, translation and content generation. Other initiatives include an AI Studio to connect specialists with institutions building AI solutions, and a National Open Data Portal opening government data to researchers and developers. All sit under Oman's National Programme for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Digital Technologies.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Source: Otech, DeepAstra, various
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