Nvidia partners with Abu Dhabi to open an AI technology hub

Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII) have announced the establishment of what is to be the first Nvidia AI Technology Center in the Middle East. 

The announcement comes after Nvidia announced a $5 billion investment in Intel, marking the company’s largest external investment to date and positioning it as one of Intel’s major shareholders.

Nvidia now has a joint research lab with Abu Dhabi

The joint research lab, which is to be officially named the TII-NVAITC Joint Lab for AI and Robotics, will be located in the United Arab Emirates and will reportedly focus on accelerating advancements in next-generation AI models and robotics platforms.

Discussions for the lab kicked off around a year ago, and Najwa Aaraj, the CEO of TII has said the hub will consist of teams with members from both parties, with more staff to be hired specifically for the project.

Reports also claim the joint research hub will combine its multidisciplinary research with the U.S. company’s AI models and computing power, both factors currently coveted by many as they are fueling a global artificial intelligence boom.

The agreement will enable the institute to use specific edge GPU chips to advance its research on robotics, among other areas, said Najwa Aaraj, the CEO of TII.

“It will be a chip that we will newly use … It’s called the Thor chip, and it is a chip that enables advanced robotic systems development,” Aaraj said.

TII is the applied research arm of the Advanced Technology Research Council, an Abu Dhabi government entity that is part of the UAE’s efforts to become a global AI player.

Carlo Ruiz, Nvidia’s vice president of enterprise solutions and operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa said, “By working with TII in Abu Dhabi, we are expanding the scope of these centers into robotics for the first time in the Middle East — helping researchers and innovators accelerate breakthroughs that will shape the future of intelligent systems.”

Working together will help both companies speed up the development of intelligent systems with real-world applications — advancing the field of physical AI through embodied AI models, state-of-the-art robotics and humanoid stacks, and hardware designed for real-time robotic systems.

Research will focus on robotic learning and control at scale, as well as the development and integration of large language models, including TII’s Falcon family of AI models.

Nvidia maintains activity streak into late 2025

Not long before announcing the establishment of its joint lab with TII, Nvidia also revealed it would invest $5 billion in Intel, throwing its full weight behind the struggling U.S. chipmaker mere weeks after the White House influenced a deal that allowed the federal government to take a massive stake in the company.

Nvidia’s support will give Intel a fighting chance after years of failed turnaround efforts, and triggered a 23% jump in the U.S. chip manufacturer’s shares when the news went live.

The stake positions Nvidia as one of Intel’s largest shareholders, giving it roughly 4% of the company after the new shares are issued.

It is a common belief right now that for Intel’s foundry to survive, it requires support from a large customer such as Nvidia, Apple, Qualcomm or Broadcom.

“This may be the first step of an acquisition or breakup of the company (Intel) among U.S. chip makers though it is entirely possible the company will remain a shadow of its former self but will survive,” said Nancy Tengler, CEO of Laffer Tengler Investments, a holder of Nvidia stock.

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