In a major development on the sidelines of Choose France, two of the world’s emerging AI players — UAE-based technology group G42 and Paris-headquartered Mistral AI — have announced a strategic partnership to co-create artificial intelligence infrastructure designed for openness, sovereignty, and global accessibility.
The announcement builds on a broader AI cooperation agreement signed earlier this year by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and French President Emmanuel Macron, and reflects deepening cross-regional ties rooted in nearly 50 years of UAE–France diplomatic and economic relations.
This new partnership brings together G42’s operational scale and infrastructure capabilities — delivered through companies like Core42, which handles AI infrastructure, and Inception, which focuses on AI platforms and solutions — with Mistral AI’s expertise in developing frontier open-weight language models.
Focus on Sovereignty, Openness, and Global Access
The collaboration aims to build AI systems that are not only powerful and scalable but also open and technically autonomous. The companies say the joint platforms will feature clear IP governance, and are being designed to enable secure and scalable deployment — especially in regions historically underserved by advanced tech infrastructure.
“This partnership exemplifies a new model of AI development: one that balances sovereignty with interoperability, and ambition with accountability,” said Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G42.
Mistral AI has made waves globally for its open-source approach to large language models and generative AI, positioning itself as a counterbalance to more centralized and closed AI ecosystems. The company has a growing presence across the United States, United Kingdom, and Singapore, and is seen as a leading voice in the push for decentralised AI development.
“G42 is a partner who shares our commitment to making powerful, open artificial intelligence accessible to all,” said Arthur Mensch, Co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI. “This alliance not only accelerates our journey but also ensures that the benefits of AI extend beyond traditional tech hubs.”
MBZUAI Will Support Research and Talent Development
As part of the agreement, Mistral AI is also set to explore collaboration with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) — the world’s first graduate-level AI university, located in Abu Dhabi. The focus of that collaboration will include advanced research in foundation models, energy efficiency in AI systems, safety, and talent development.
Founded with the mission of driving innovation and real-world impact through interdisciplinary AI research, MBZUAI recently launched its first undergraduate program: a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence, with streams in Business and Engineering — signaling a growing pipeline of homegrown AI expertise in the region.
“Our shared values around driving innovation, collaboration, accessibility and inclusion make us ideally suited to drive research advancements in the field of AI to the benefit of all,” said Eric Xing, President and University Professor at MBZUAI.
Broader Implications: The Global South, Infrastructure, and Openness
This collaboration comes at a time when calls for open and sovereign AI systems are growing louder, especially across the Global South. With the current AI race dominated by U.S. and Chinese firms, G42 and Mistral AI’s approach offers a third way — one rooted in international collaboration, shared infrastructure, and transparent development processes.
G42, which has built a reputation for applying AI across sectors like healthcare, energy, and transportation, has increasingly positioned itself as a bridge between emerging AI powers and global markets. By partnering with Mistral AI — whose open-source models challenge the dominance of proprietary alternatives — G42 is deepening its commitment to AI that is not only innovative but inclusive and accessible.
The partnership also aims to create and export AI agents, domain-specific applications, and sovereign cloud infrastructures for new markets, while jointly promoting each other’s offerings globally.
With Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in focus, the partnership may well become a blueprint for future AI cooperation rooted in openness, technical excellence, and international trust.
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