Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
In the presence of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, G42, a UAE-based global technology group, has announced reaching an agreement with Cisco, the global leader in networking and security, to lay the groundwork for a strategic collaboration aimed at further advancing artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and infrastructure development across public and private sectors.
His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed underscored that investing in artificial intelligence, amid rapid digital transformation, has become a cornerstone for shaping the future and turning challenges into opportunities to enhance the efficiency of priority economic sectors.
His Highness highlighted that adopting AI is now a strategic imperative, serving as a vital partner in building a competitive, knowledge-driven economy that accelerates comprehensive development and sustainable progress.
The meeting, held on the sidelines of announcing the agreement, was attended by His Excellency Ahmed Tamim Al Kuttab, Chairman of the Department of Government Enablement; His Excellency Saif Saeed Ghobash, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Crown Prince’s Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court; Peng Xiao, Group Chief Executive Officer of G42; and Chuck Robbins, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Cisco.
Group Chief Executive Officer of G42, Peng Xiao, said, “This agreement with Cisco reflects our shared interest in exploring how AI infrastructure and innovation can be scaled responsibly and securely across markets. As G42 continues to expand its international footprint, we welcome the opportunity to align with organisations that value open collaboration, trusted ecosystems, and long-term impact. We look forward to identifying areas where our combined capabilities can support governments, enterprises, and communities in leveraging the full potential of AI.”
The agreement focuses on exploring collaboration opportunities in key areas, including a joint Go-to-Market initiative leveraging Cisco’s comprehensive secure AI portfolio, AI-native solutions and services, and G42’s regional presence, infrastructure expertise, and expanding global footprint to support the responsible diffusion of AI within and beyond the UAE.
Additionally, Cisco and G42 will work together to develop a reference architecture that integrates Cisco’s networking, security, and infrastructure solutions, specifically designed for high-performance computing.
This collaboration aims to support customers in building and securing AI-ready data centres and in developing AI workloads effectively.
Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Cisco, Chuck Robbins, said, “AI is fundamentally changing our world, and to truly unlock its potential, we need to build a strong global ecosystem. Cisco is proud to join forces with G42 to deliver cutting-edge AI and digital infrastructure solutions to our customers at scale. Cisco is committed to supporting G42’s transformative vision for AI.”
As G42 deepens its role in shaping the global AI ecosystem, its strategic partnerships with US technology leaders have become a key driver of progress.
As the first nation in the world to appoint a Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence and establish a dedicated AI university, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the UAE has consistently demonstrated its commitment to global AI leadership.
This agreement aligns with G42’s international growth ambitions and supports the broader objectives of the UAE’s National AI Strategy 2031, which aims to position the country at the forefront of responsible AI development and deployment.
