G42 Chair Sheikh Tahnoon meets Satya Nadella at Microsoft HQ

UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, who also chairs Abu Dhabi artificial intelligence firm G42, headed for Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash., following a three-day state visit to Washington, D.C.

He met with CEO Satya Nadella on Thursday to discuss “ways to strengthen collaboration,” according to a post on X. Microsoft, the biggest backer and partner of generative AI market leader OpenAI, made a $1.5 billion investment in G42 in April.

The deal brought Abu Dhabi’s AI champion into the fold of American companies leading tech’s big wave. The investment required G42 to sever its ties with Chinese manufacturers like Huawei.

Sheikh Tahnoon, who also chairs two Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth funds – Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and ADQ – is now working on behalf of the UAE to finalize a data protection and intellectual property agreement with the U.S.

The aim is to assuage fears over national security as the trade relationship increasingly funnels investments to machine learning, semiconductors and aerospace. 

Sheikh Tahnoon seeks UAE-U.S. AI pact as Washington trip concludes

UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed concluded a three-day trip to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday as the UAE and U.S. look to nail down a common policy framework that protects intellectual property and data.

Amid increasing commercial activity between the two countries on advanced technology, artificial intelligence is among the fastest-growing areas of bilateral commerce, the UAE Embassy to the U.S. noted in a summary of Sheikh Tahnoon’s visit.

The relationship is a two-way street: more than $1 trillion is currently invested by the UAE in the U.S. economy, with significant backing from Emirati funds in semiconductors, AI, space and clean energy.

UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba called the U.S. “our partner of choice” on AI development with “ambitious plans to do even more.”  

Sheikh Tahnoon, who is the brother of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and chairman of sovereign wealth funds Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and ADQ, met with former President Barack Obama on Wednesday to discuss joint efforts to use technology to improve education. 

He also met with his counterpart Jake Sullivan on Tuesday and held discussions with Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, a key figure in Microsoft’s $1.5 billion investment in G42.

Others who met with Sheikh Tahnoon included Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell; Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines; Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer; and Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security Amos Hochstein.

Also, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk; Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy Dan Shapiro; Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA).

Traveling with Sheikh Tahnoon were UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Alsuwaidi; Executive Affairs Authority Chairman and Mubadala Investment Co. CEO Khaldoon Al Mubarak; Supreme Council for National Security Secretary-General Ali Al Shamsi; National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority Chairman Ali Al Neyadi and G42 CEO Peng Xiao, who is a member of the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council.