Microsoft to invest $1.5 billion in Emirati AI firm G42, takes minority stake

Microsoft to invest .5 billion in Emirati AI firm G42, takes minority stake

Microsoft will invest $1.5 billion in United Arab Emirates-based artificial intelligence firm G42, giving the US tech giant a minority stake and a seat on the board, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday. Under the partnership, G42 will run its AI applications and services on Microsoft’s cloud computing platform Azure to deliver advanced AI …

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PhonePe and Mashreq Partner to Enable UPI Payments in UAE

PhonePe and Mashreq Partner to Enable UPI Payments in UAE

Indian citizens visiting or working in the United Arab Emirates can now use the PhonePe app to make payments using the United Payments Interface (UPI) at Mashreq’s Neopay terminals. These transactions are facilitated by UPI, and the account debit will occur in Indian rupees, with the terminals showing the currency exchange rate, PhonePe said in a Thursday (March 28) press release. Non-resident …

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How AI Investments Could Change the Middle East

How AI Investments Could Change the Middle East

Saudi Arabia’s reported $40 billion artificial intelligence (AI) investment fund represents a leap to redefine the Middle East’s role in the global technology landscape.  The fund is part of a trend of Middle Eastern countries scrambling to position themselves as leaders in the global AI race. The vast investments underscore AI’s potential to reshape industries …

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Iran-backed hackers interrupt UAE, UK and Canadian programming with fake AI news broadcast

Iran-backed hackers interrupt UAE, UK and Canadian programming with fake AI news broadcast

A group of hackers linked to Iran have interrupted BBC and a host of other European TV streaming services in Britain, the United Arab Emirates and Canada, Microsoft stated in a report earlier this month, noting a marked acceleration of Iranian cyber attacks since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. The programming was interrupted with …

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