Artificial Intelligence1 min read

OpenAI deepens Abu Dhabi foothold as Sam Altman inks deals spanning energy, government and investment

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The agreements encompass major state-backed entities, with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and G42 deploying OpenAI's advanced systems across operational networks. Meanwhile, Mubadala and Inception42 are collaborating with the lab to integrate automated analytical tools into investment decision-making. Inception42 also finalized a five-year contract with the company to accelerate adoption across civic, corporate, and educational environments.

Key points

  • Regional sovereign wealth funds and investment firms are emerging as primary financial ba…: Regional sovereign wealth funds and investment firms are emerging as primary financial backers for Western artificial intelligence companies.
  • Comprehensive deployment deals allow the laboratory to embed its software directly into s…: Comprehensive deployment deals allow the laboratory to embed its software directly into state governance, education, and energy sectors.
  • The United Arab Emirates continues to leverage its domestic capital reserves to attract f…: The United Arab Emirates continues to leverage its domestic capital reserves to attract frontier technology infrastructure to the Middle East.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

OpenAI has signed deals across energy, investment and government sectors in the United Arab Emirates as the AI lab works to secure funding from investors in the region as part of a $20 billion round.

CEO Sam Altman met with Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, as the artificial intelligence lab secured arrangements for a number of sectors to use its models, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said on Monday.

While the Middle East has emerged as a key AI hub in recent years, with U.S. big tech companies signing deals to develop huge data centers in the region, ongoing conflict has tested that appeal.

OpenAI and Anthropic have turned to Middle East investors as they've looked for ever-larger pools of capital to fund growth.

MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm, has backed both labs, including co-leading Anthropic's $30 billion raise in February and OpenAI's $122 billion raise in March. OpenAI is currently seeking to raise $20 billion in a new funding round co-led by investors…

Artificial Intelligence