Core42 and TII Advance UAE Digital Sovereignty
Core42 and the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) have signed a strategic collaboration agreement to advance digital sovereignty and cybersecurity in the UAE. The companies signed the agreement at GISEC Global 2026 in Dubai on September 18.
Core42, a G42 company, focuses on AI infrastructure and sovereign-enabled cloud services. Meanwhile, TII serves as the applied research arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council.
The partnership will connect Core42’s cloud and AI infrastructure with TII’s cybersecurity research. As a result, both organisations will explore UAE-developed technologies for sovereign digital environments.
Developing UAE-Built Security Technologies
Under the agreement, Core42 and TII will co-develop, evaluate, and deploy security technologies. The work will cover Core42’s sovereign-enabled cloud and Compass, its generative and agentic AI platform.
The collaboration covers several areas of cybersecurity. These include hardware security modules, confidential computing, and encrypted AI inferencing. In addition, the companies will examine secure key management and distribution.
The partnership also covers data protection, encryption, and trusted computing technologies. Therefore, the research will address security requirements across data, infrastructure, AI models, and communications.
Furthermore, the companies want to create pathways for UAE-developed technologies to reach operational environments. This approach connects research and development with practical cloud and AI applications.
Core42 said the agreement supports developing critical technology capabilities within the UAE. It also aims to strengthen locally developed solutions for cloud and AI sovereignty requirements.
Strengthening Sovereign Cloud and AI Security
The agreement comes as organisations deploy more sensitive data and AI workloads across cloud environments. As a result, technologies that protect data and infrastructure have become increasingly important for regulated and sovereign workloads.
Core42 and TII will therefore evaluate how local cybersecurity technologies can strengthen sovereign infrastructure. The companies will also assess their suitability for AI environments that require stronger controls over data and computing resources.
Rajeev Nair, Senior Vice President, Special Projects at Core42, said the partnership goes beyond deciding where data and infrastructure reside. He said sovereignty also requires the technology capabilities needed to protect those assets.
Nair added that working with TII will allow Core42 to evaluate UAE-developed technologies against real-world sovereign cloud and AI requirements. The companies also intend to connect local research with practical platforms and use cases.
Dr Victor Juan Mateu, Chief Researcher at TII’s Cryptography Research Centre, said the collaboration provides a pathway to evaluate and advance locally developed cybersecurity and trusted computing technologies.
He added that combining research expertise with operational platforms can help move technologies from research into practical deployment.
Expanding the UAE Sovereign Technology Ecosystem
The partnership also supports the UAE’s broader development of domestic technology capabilities. At GISEC Global 2026, sovereign digital infrastructure and cybersecurity featured prominently across government and industry discussions.
For Core42, the agreement adds locally developed cybersecurity technologies to its sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure strategy. Meanwhile, TII gains an operational environment for evaluating research in areas such as cryptography and trusted computing.
The collaboration could also create new routes for UAE-developed security technologies to move into commercial and government environments. However, the announcement does not specify individual products, deployment dates, or commercial rollout targets.
Instead, the agreement establishes a framework for joint development, evaluation, and deployment. Consequently, future projects will determine how the technologies move from research and testing into Core42’s cloud and AI platforms.
The latest agreement therefore links applied research with sovereign infrastructure in a single development framework. At the same time, it supports the UAE’s efforts to build local capabilities in AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and trusted technology.
