Qatar launches national AI company under QIA
New AI company to develop infrastructure and attract global talent
#Qatar #investment - Qatar has announced the launch of Qai, a national artificial intelligence company operating under the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), to develop advanced digital ecosystems and AI infrastructure supporting innovation and sustainable development. Qai will develop, manage and invest in AI infrastructures domestically and internationally, providing high-performance computing capabilities and scalable AI systems to key sectors. The company formation is part of Qatar’s strategy to strengthen its knowledge-based economy aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030, whilst positioning the country as a competitive regional hub for AI and data-driven industries. Qai is chaired by Abdullah bin Hamad Al Misnad, who is Head of the Executive Office of Qatar’s Prime Minister and a member of QIA’s advisory board.
SO WHAT? - Qatar has been slower to invest in far-reaching AI initiatives compared to its neighbours, but has ramped up digital transformation efforts and strategic investments in AI and AI infrastructure over the past two years. The establishment of Qai is another commitment that signals its intention to compete at the highest levels of the global AI economy. As part of Qatar Investment Authority, Qai gains immediate access to multi-billion dollar international technology partnerships and research capabilities that typically take years to develop. However, few details have been announced and so it is not yet clear how the new venture will be structured, or what the full scope of its mandate will be.
Here are some key points about the Qatar government announcement:
Qatar has established Qai, a national AI company operating under the sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) to develop advanced digital ecosystems and AI infrastructure supporting the country’s innovation objectives and Qatar National Vision 2030 economic diversification goals.
The new company is chaired by Abdullah bin Hamad Al Misnad, who is Head of the Executive Office of Qatar’s Prime Minister and a member of QIA’s advisory board.
According to QIA, the company will develop, manage and invest in advanced AI infrastructures both within Qatar and internationally, providing secure and reliable smart technologies, high-performance computing capabilities and connected tools for training and deploying scalable AI systems across key economic sectors.
Qai will leverage the QIA’s global investment portfolio, long-term strategic planning capabilities and established relationships with scientific research institutions, policy organisations and the national innovation ecosystem to accelerate technology development and knowledge transfer.
The company will focus on creating AI solutions designed to serve people and communities whilst attracting top international talent and collaborating with leading research institutions, global technology firms and strategic investors to strengthen Qatar’s advanced innovation ecosystem.
Qai aims to establish Qatar as a reliable hub within the global AI ecosystem, enhancing the country’s regional leadership position and international competitiveness in artificial intelligence and data-driven industries as part of the broader knowledge-based economy strategy.
ZOOM OUT - Qatar’s establishment of Qai builds upon the country’s earlier AI achievements, including the December 2024 launch of Fanar, Qatar’s sovereign large language model developed by Qatar Computing Research Institute at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. Trained on 1.3 trillion tokens with 40% Arabic language data, Fanar was designed to close the gap between Arabic and English language models whilst incorporating Qatar’s heritage, culture and colloquial dialect. The foundation model launched with six generative AI applications spanning education, government services and media. Qai now provides the institutional framework and investment capacity to scale such initiatives, positioning Qatar alongside Saudi Arabia and the UAE in developing comprehensive national AI capabilities that combine sovereign models, infrastructure and strategic technology partnerships.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
Read more about Qatar’s AI initiatives
Qatar signs AI partnership with PwC and OpenAI (Middle East AI News)
AI could generate $11 billion for Qatar’s economy by 2030 (Middle East AI News)
Qatar launches Fanar sovereign large language model (Middle East AI News)
Qatar signs 5-year deal with Scale AI (Middle East AI News)