Core42 has entered a strategic partnership with UAE telecommunications provider e& to deliver sovereign artificial intelligence cloud capabilities designed for enterprise and government deployments. The collaboration combines Core42’s Sovereign AI Cloud platform with e&’s digital infrastructure, creating an integrated environment for organizations seeking secure AI services within the country. The initiative reflects growing demand for localized AI infrastructure as governments and regulated industries place greater emphasis on data sovereignty, compliance, and operational resilience. The companies expect the platform to accelerate AI adoption while reducing complexity for organizations moving production workloads into sovereign cloud environments.
The agreement positions both companies to strengthen the UAE’s domestic AI ecosystem at a time when countries are increasingly prioritizing national AI infrastructure. By integrating AI compute with telecommunications infrastructure, the partnership creates a single operational framework that supports deployment rather than experimentation. The offering also provides organizations with locally hosted AI capabilities without relying on overseas infrastructure for sensitive workloads. As a result, enterprises can access sovereign AI services while maintaining regulatory and operational control over their data.
Sovereign infrastructure targets production-ready AI deployments
Under the partnership, e& will integrate Core42’s Sovereign AI Cloud into its portfolio of enterprise digital services. The combined platform is intended to simplify how customers deploy AI applications by bringing together compute resources, connectivity, and implementation services. Customers across government, retail, and manufacturing sectors are expected to benefit from faster access to GPU infrastructure while maintaining compliance with UAE data sovereignty requirements. The companies also said the approach lowers barriers for organizations seeking enterprise-grade AI capabilities.
“AI deployment at scale demands infrastructure that can operate securely, compliantly, and with the resilience required for real-world execution,” said Jaafar Al Hashmi, Core42’s vice-president of government and market development, in a statement. “This partnership with e& UAE extends sovereign AI from foundational infrastructure into an operational capability, integrating compute, connectivity, and implementation into a single framework built for deployment. By strengthening these invisible foundations, we are enabling organisations across the UAE to move beyond AI ambition and towards sustained, production-grade execution.”
The announcement highlights an industry shift toward infrastructure designed specifically for operational AI rather than pilot projects. Enterprises increasingly require integrated platforms capable of supporting high-performance computing, secure networking, and compliant data handling from a single provider. Consequently, sovereign AI infrastructure has become a competitive differentiator for technology providers serving highly regulated industries. The collaboration between Core42 and e& aligns with that broader market direction.
GPU Connect expands enterprise access to sovereign AI services
Alongside the partnership, e& introduced GPU Connect, a service intended to simplify customer access to AI infrastructure and deployment tools. The service complements Core42’s Sovereign AI Cloud by enabling organizations to connect data, compute resources, and AI applications through a unified environment. According to the companies, this combination is designed to shorten deployment timelines while making enterprise AI adoption more accessible across multiple industries. Customers are also expected to benefit from local infrastructure support and private connectivity as part of the offering.
Esam Mahmoud, SVP of SMB sales and marketing, e& UAE, added: “AI is becoming a key part of how organizations operate. Through our collaboration with Core42, we are enabling UAE enterprises and government entities a simpler, faster and more secure way to access sovereign GPU infrastructure, connect their data and operationalise AI at scale. “This directly supports the UAE’s vision to build an AI-native economy and advance the national agentic AI agenda by enabling organisations to deploy intelligent systems that can analyse, decide and act with greater speed and confidence. The value of this platform is not only AI compute; it is the combination of AI infrastructure, private connectivity, local support and a practical route to production.”
The companies said the integrated platform supports the UAE government’s national agentic AI agenda by enabling broader deployment of intelligent systems across both public- and private-sector organizations. The initiative reflects increasing efforts to move beyond AI experimentation toward operational implementations capable of supporting decision-making and automation at scale. The platform combines infrastructure, networking, and implementation services to reduce deployment friction for enterprise customers. Moreover, the addition of GPU Connect extends the partnership beyond raw computing capacity by addressing connectivity and operational requirements.
Partnership reinforces UAE’s sovereign AI ambitions
The collaboration comes as the UAE continues expanding investment in sovereign digital infrastructure to strengthen its position as a regional AI hub. e&, formerly known as Etisalat, serves approximately 248 million customers across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, giving the telecommunications company a broad platform for enterprise AI services. The agreement enables e& to offer sovereign AI capabilities to organizations that require localized infrastructure for compliance, security, and performance. That positioning could become increasingly valuable as AI regulations evolve across global markets.
For Core42, the agreement further expands its role as a provider of sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure from its headquarters in Abu Dhabi. While the company continues strengthening its Middle East operations, it has also increased investment in international AI infrastructure markets. In June, Core42 expanded its AI cluster at a data center operated by Terawulf in Buffalo, New York, increasing capacity from 42 megawatts to 60 megawatts. Earlier in May, the company secured a $550 million loan from HSBC to support expansion across the United States and Europe.
Regional AI infrastructure enters its next growth phase
The Core42 and e& partnership illustrates how telecommunications providers and AI infrastructure companies are moving closer together as enterprise AI demand matures. Instead of offering isolated compute resources, providers increasingly compete by delivering integrated ecosystems that combine cloud infrastructure, networking, security, and implementation services. Sovereign AI infrastructure is becoming central to national digital strategies, particularly in markets seeking greater control over sensitive workloads and critical AI capabilities. This latest collaboration reinforces the UAE’s broader ambition to build production-scale AI infrastructure that supports long-term economic and technological development.
