According to French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, France and the United Arab Emirates announced a “strategic partnership” on artificial intelligence (AI) on Tuesday with the goal of enhancing their cooperation.
According to Le Maire, the agreement with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, managing director of the government-controlled fund Mubadala in Abu Dhabi, ushers in “a new era of economic cooperation” in the rapidly expanding industry.
“France has chosen to be the leading country in Europe on AI, and for that, we need partners,” he said during a visit to the Gulf state at the head of a delegation of entrepreneurs and start-ups.
“Four new areas of cooperation will be opened and developed in the coming months,” including research and skill development, part of which will be done via the Abu Dhabi branch of the Sorbonne, Paris’s main university, Le Maire said.
The agreement will also facilitate investment in data centres and the semiconductor industry, he said.
The UAE has already invested in a semiconductor production plant in France.
“We want to accelerate the deployment of these investments and expand them,” Le Maire said.
Over the next ten years, the oil-rich UAE wants to lead the world in artificial intelligence.
It made history in 2017 by being the first nation to designate a minister of state for digital economy, artificial intelligence, and remote work.
The United Arab Emirates-based artificial intelligence startup G42 will receive a $1.5 billion investment from US tech giant Microsoft in April.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, brother of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and national security adviser for the United Arab Emirates, serves as the company’s chairman.
In January, G42 vehemently refuted claims made by a Republican lawmaker that it maintains connections with Chinese corporations like Huawei that are placed on the US government’s blacklist.
The AI agreement follows growing economic ties between France and the UAE in recent years.
The United Arab Emirates and France inked a historic contract in 2021 for 80 Rafale fighter jets, with a total estimated cost of $15 billion.
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is home to a permanent French military post.
Le Maire described the UAE’s investment in France’s nuclear power infrastructure as “a sign of great trust” between the two nations and stated that Paris was “open to the possibility” of it.
