OpenAI partnered with G42 in Dubai, looking at Middle East expansion.

Popular artificial intelligence (AI) chat GPT and Dubai-based technology developer OpenAI announced on October 18 a new partnership to expand AI capabilities in the Middle East region.

The two companies plan to use OpenAI's Generative AI models in G42 knowledge sectors, including financial services, energy, healthcare and public services.

The G42 said organizations in the UAE and other regions should have a simpler process of integrating advanced AI capabilities into existing businesses using their business solutions.

It said it plans to deploy its largest AI infrastructure capacity to support local and regional evaluation of OpenAI on Microsoft Azure data centers.

Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, said the G42's connectivity across the industry will help bring AI solutions that “fit the region's diversity.” The collaboration will help advance generative AI around the world, he said.

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This development follows another neighboring Middle Eastern country, Saudi Arabia, which recently announced a collaboration between a local university and universities in China to develop an Arabic-based AI system.

A large language model called AceGPT is built on top of Meta Llama 2. According to the project's GitHub page, it is an AI assistant for Arabic speakers and is designed to answer questions in Arabic.

Both of these developments come as regulators in the United States are cracking down on AI semiconductor chip export destinations, including the Middle East.

In August, US officials reportedly added “some Middle Eastern countries” to the list of areas where AI chip maker NVIDIA and rival AMD want to export high-end semiconductor chips.

A few weeks later, US regulators ruled out banning exports to the Middle East. However, in the recent expansion of AI semiconductor chips export controls, one new law was to expand licensing requirements for exporting advanced chips to “22 countries where the United States maintains an arms embargo.” Besides China, its main targets include the Middle Eastern countries of Iraq, Iran and Lebanon.

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