Presight 2025 revenue jumps 37%; G42 backs Vietnam AI hub
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!
Another incredibly busy week with more stories than we have space in this newsletter! Among this week’s biggest stories are Presight’s 2025 stellar financial results, G42’s billion dollar Vietnam AI hub deal, Saudi Arabia’s plans to implement AI curricula for all undergraduates at university and Morocco’s new digital government super-app project!
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/Carrington
Presight revenue jumps 36.9% to AED3bn
#UAE #results - Presight AI Holding PLC reported FY25 revenue of AED 3.03 billion ($825 million), up 36.9%, marking its 12th consecutive quarter of growth. International revenue surged 130% to AED 1.17 billion, while EBITDA reached AED 785 million. The ADX-listed firm secured AED 3.4 billion in new orders and remains debt-free. (Middle East AI News)
R&D
Khalifa University unveils RedSage cybersecurity model
#UAE #cybersecurity - Khalifa University, with the University of Bonn and the University of Milan, has developed RedSage, an open-source cybersecurity large language model. Accepted at ICLR 2026, the model demonstrates strong benchmarks and on-premises deployment for privacy-preserving security operations. (Middle East AI News)
UAE universities launch 6G AI benchmark
#UAE #Telecoms - Khalifa University and UAE University have released 6G-Bench, the first open benchmark to evaluate how large language models reason within AI-native 6G networks. The framework provides telecom operators and researchers with a shared, standards-aligned evaluation tool. (Middle East AI News)
Indicators
UAE edges past global peers in AI leadership
#UAE #adoption - UAE organisations are outpacing global peers in AI maturity, with 42% achieving ‘AI Leader’ status versus a 40% global average, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The study of 200 GCC executives found regional AI Leaders deliver up to 1.7 times higher shareholder returns, signalling enterprise-wide transformation. (Middle East AI News)
Middle East tops global AI confidence: Accenture
#MiddleEast #confidence - Accenture’s Pulse of Change study finds Middle Eastern organisations lead globally in AI workforce readiness and training confidence, yet report the highest concern over skills shortages. The research highlights urgent need for job redesign and capability building to unlock sustained value from AI investments. (Zawya)
Data Centres
G42 backs Vietnam AI data centre expansion
#UAE #Vietnam #datacentres - Abu Dhabi-based G42 has secured up to $1 billion in usage commitments to expand sovereign AI infrastructure in Vietnam. Partnering with FPT Corporation and Viet Thai Group, the initiative will deploy hyperscale cloud and AI capacity across three locations. (Middle East AI News)
Magna AI signs $700m Malaysia data centre deal
#Saudi #Malaysia #datacentres - Magna AI has signed a $700 million MoU with Zchwantech Group to develop sovereign-ready AI infrastructure in Malaysia, anchored by a 20MW AI data centre in Sarawak. The project will support national-scale AI workloads as Malaysia records 35% annual AI adoption growth across 2.4 million businesses. (Middle East AI News)
Khazna deploys AI command centre with Presight
#UAE #datacentres - Khazna Data Centers is rolling out an AI-powered command and control centre with Presight, both part of the G42 Group. The system embeds predictive analytics, digital twins and energy optimisation to enhance resilience and sustainability across its hyperscale portfolio. Middle East AI News
Startups
Tactful AI raises $1 million pre-Series A
#Egypt #funding - Egyptian-founded Tactful AI has secured $1 million in pre-Series A funding to accelerate growth of its agentic AI customer experience platform. The London and Cairo-based company targets enterprises modernising service operations across the Middle East. (Middle East AI News)
Digital transformation
Morocco unveils Idarati X.0 digital super-app
#Morocco #DigitalGovernment - Morocco’s Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform has launched Idarati X.0, a national super-app project integrating AI, digital identity and a smart wallet. Eight agreements were signed in Rabat to deliver the platform within six months, embedding privacy and security by design. (Middle East AI News)
Tajikistan partners G42 Inception on AI
#Tajikistan #strategy - Tajikistan has partnered with G42’s Inception and zypl.ai to accelerate implementation of its National AI Strategy 2040. The agreement focuses on institutional capacity, responsible deployment and scalable government use cases, positioning the country as a regional AI testbed. Middle East AI News
Bain and WGS launch public sector AI tool
#UAE #maturity - Bain & Company and the World Governments Summit have unveiled the Public Sector AI Readiness Tool in Dubai, assessing government maturity across strategy, technology, talent and governance. The platform aims to help public entities scale AI beyond pilots into measurable, nationally aligned deployment. Middle East AI News
Telecom
Ooredoo deploys AI outbound sales in Qatar
#Qatar #telecom - Ooredoo Qatar has launched AI-powered outbound sales calling using Microsoft Azure OpenAI real-time voice technology. The deployment enhances customer engagement while improving productivity, scalability and operational efficiency across its contact centre operations, signalling deeper AI integration in regional telecoms. (Zawya)
UNDP Egypt and GSMA launch AI governance drive
#Egypt #policy - UNDP Egypt and GSMA have launched a high-level AI governance training programme in Cairo for regional policymakers. The initiative aims to strengthen regulatory readiness and responsible AI frameworks, supporting coordinated adoption across the Middle East and Africa. (UNDP)
Education
Saudi Arabia mandates AI curriculum nationwide
#Saudi #tertiaryed - Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has launched a mandatory national data and AI curriculum for all university undergraduates, announced at ICAN 2026 in Riyadh. Backed by 14 public and private universities, the programme embeds practical data skills and responsible AI use across disciplines. (Middle East AI News)
Enterprise
CALIM360 launches AI blockchain contracts platform
#Qatar #enterprise - CALIM has beta launched CALIM360, an AI and blockchain-powered contracts management platform targeting construction, energy and infrastructure projects across Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The platform aims to streamline administration and enhance transparency in complex GCC projects. (The Peninsula)
Corporate moves
Luma AI expands to Riyadh for Arabic AI
#Saudi #entertainment - US-based Luma AI is opening in Riyadh to advance Arabic-native generative AI, supporting its joint creative and entertainment initiative with HUMAIN. A partnership with Publicis Groupe Middle East will integrate Luma’s multimodal tools into regional creative workflows. Middle East AI News
[ This newsletter was both AI edited & human edited ]