Issue #6: Core42s Sovereign AI Profile

Sovereign AI.

It might sound like something reserved for boardrooms and think tanks, but it’s the foundation of a national strategy in the UAE.

One platform sits at the heart of this vision:

A sovereign-first AI cloud platform designed to address the unique demands of regulated industries, national security, and the UAE’s Global ambitions.

The UAE also isn’t just building this platform for itself. By creating scalable, sovereign AI infrastructure, it’s positioning itself as a global hub for innovation and connecting the Global South to cutting-edge AI capabilities.

This company is carving out a sovereign niche in a hyper-competitive industry and showing everyone that there’s another way to play the cloud services game in the AI era.

Core42 is the player in question, and this is how they’re doing it.

The GPU Audio Companion Issue #6

Want the GPU breakdown without the reading? The Audio Companion does it for you—but only if you’re subscribed. Fix that here.

Company Background

Core42 launched in 2023, but its story starts much earlier.

This results from a three-way merger of G42’s subsidiaries: G42 Cloud, Inception, and Injazat.

Why merge?

To combine their expertise into a single platform capable of handling the most complex global challenges.

What Is G42?

G42 is the UAE’s tech powerhouse.

If you’re not familiar, the below 2024 run down video should give you a pretty good overview of why powerhouse is a warranted description.

From mapping genomes to deploying autonomous systems, they’re a driving force behind projects that define the region’s AI ambitions. Core42 builds on this legacy by delivering infrastructure for regulated industries and sovereign-first solutions.

Why Sovereign AI Matters

The UAE is positioning itself as a digital gateway for the Global South, enabling neighbouring nations to leverage sovereign AI infrastructure for their own transformations.

At the 2024 World Government Summit, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang nailed the importance of sovereign AI capabilities:

"AI is not just about building models; it’s about control. Sovereign AI ensures nations own their infrastructure, data, and destiny in the AI-driven world."

Core42 is putting this philosophy into practice by ensuring:

• Data Sovereignty: Sensitive data stays within UAE borders, immune to foreign jurisdiction.

• Economic Independence: Reducing reliance on hyperscalers and imported tech.

• Global Leadership: Providing a model and setting a standard for sovereign AI infrastructure worldwide, fostering Global collaboration.

Executive Team

Core42’s leadership is a mix of industry veterans and strategic thinkers:

• Kiril Evtimov (CEO & Board Member): G42 CTO with the dual responsibility of leading Core42’s mission to scale sovereign AI.

• Neha Gupta (Chief Financial Officer): Driving financial strategy to support Core42’s rapid global expansion and scaling operations.

• Trevor North (EVP - Chief Operating Officer): Overseeing daily operations and scaling enterprise solutions.

• Adrian Hobbs (Chief Technology Officer): Innovating Core42’s AI and cloud platforms for next-gen workloads.

• Talal M. Al Kaissi (EVP - Chief Government Affairs and Partnerships Officer): Expanding global partnerships and managing government relations.

• Ali Nimer (Chief Commercial Officer): Driving commercial growth, particularly in regulated industries.

• Edmondo Orlotti (Chief Growth Officer): Leading strategic initiatives to expand Core42’s global reach.

• Ergul Hemmingsen (Chief Human Capital Officer): Building a workforce aligned with Core42’s ambitious goals.

• Raghu Chakravarthi (EVP - Engineering and General Manager): Delivering Core42’s technical and engineering strategies.

• Roopal Jobanputra (General Counsel): Navigating legal frameworks and ensuring compliance.

The Edge

Sovereign AI Infrastructure

Core42’s Sovereign Public Cloud, delivered in partnership with Microsoft, and Signature Private Cloud address compliance and scalability needs:

• Government-Ready: Built for defense, healthcare, and finance.

• Hyperscaler-Grade: Enterprise-grade capabilities, all within UAE borders.

By creating a scalable infrastructure model, Core42 enables neighbouring countries in the Global South to benefit from its sovereign cloud without compromising on compliance or security.

Advanced AI Platforms

Core42’s AI cloud is a global platform for innovation.

The AI cloud is distinct in that the underlying hardware is heterogenous (ie not just Nvidia), and split across multiple geographic regions. This means pricing and performance can be tailored to the demand profile in that region which, in turn, enables some pretty diverse capabilities:

• NVIDIA DGX SuperPODs: Powering high-performance training and inference.

• Compass AI Platform: A unified API offering pre-trained models and tools.

• Qualcomm Inference Services: Simplifying real-time generative AI for SaaS providers.

• Cerebras Systems: An alternative solution to high performance training (and also used for the training of Jais, the highest quality OpenSource Arabic Language LLM per G42).

Overcoming Hardware Hurdles

U.S. export restrictions limit Global access to GPUs like NVIDIA H100s. Core42 tackles this with:

• Regulated Technology Environment (RTE): Ensuring compliant deployment of cutting-edge hardware.

• Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with NVIDIA, AMD, Qualcomm, Cerebras, and others for advanced compute capabilities.

Sustainability with Impact

Core42 is focused on sustainable and responsible infrastructure scaling:

• Green Data Centers: TeraWulf partnerships deliver 70MW of renewable-powered AI capacity. The parent company G42 is also making similar moves in Kenya, demonstrating group commitment to sustainability.

• Hub71+ AI Partnership: Supporting Abu Dhabi startups with sovereign cloud infrastructure.

By focusing on sustainability and scalability, Core42 is creating a model that the Global South can replicate, reducing the region’s reliance on hyperscalers and driving local economic growth.

Recent Moves

• Inference-as-a-Service Launch: Qualcomm accelerators make AI adoption seamless for SaaS providers.

• NVIDIA SuperPOD Expansion: Adding H100 GPUs, establishing the region’s most advanced AI cloud.

• 1GW Mega Data Centre in Kenya: Partnership between Kenya’s EcoCloud and G42 to develop a geothermal powered 1GW facility.

• TeraWulf Collaboration: Building renewable-powered AI data center capacity in the U.S.

• AMD Partnership: Exploring confidential compute and AI acceleration with AMD Instinct GPUs.

• Hub71+ AI Partnership: Providing startups with scalable, secure AI infrastructure.

What’s Next?

Core42 is entering 2025 with serious momentum.

The rollout of NVIDIA H200 GPUs will expand their already formidable AI infrastructure, enabling even larger-scale workloads for enterprises and governments. But their ambitions go beyond tech upgrades.

They’re setting the UAE up as a Global leader for sovereign AI.

By extending their services to the Global South, Core42 is offering a scalable model for regions that have historically lacked access to cloud, let alone cutting-edge AI infrastructure. And as sovereign AI gains traction globally, Core42’s vertically integrated approach could become the blueprint for nations navigating complex regulatory and geopolitical challenges.

The real question? Will this model scale beyond the Gulf and Africa to create a truly global alternative to hyperscaler dominance?

If 2025 is the year AI takes centre stage, Core42 clearly plans to be holding the spotlight.

Keep The GPU Sharp and Independent

Good analysis isn’t free. And bad analysis? That’s usually paid for.

I want The GPU to stay sharp, independent, and free from corporate fluff. That means digging deeper, asking harder questions, and breaking down the world of GPU compute without a filter.

If you’ve found value in The GPU, consider upgrading to a paid membership or supporting it below:

☕ Buy Me A Coffee → https://buymeacoffee.com/bbaldieri

It helps keep this newsletter unfiltered and worth reading.