At GITEX GLOBAL 2025, Core42 is highlighting its significant role in the enhancement of sovereign cloud and AI frameworks within the UAE and beyond. As the digital infrastructure segment of the G42 network, Core42 is instrumental in realizing the group’s “Intelligence Grid” vision: establishing AI-native nations that seamlessly integrate infrastructure, intelligence, and innovation into a unified model.
In an exclusive conversation, Kiril Evtimov, the CEO of Core42, elaborates on the new AI cloud services offered by the company, the critical nature of digital sovereignty, and how the organization is laying the groundwork for a secure and competitive AI future on a global scale.
What highlights are you presenting at GITEX GLOBAL 2025
We are thrilled to make our return to GITEX and showcase the strides we’ve made in promoting sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure throughout the UAE and beyond. This year, Core42 occupies a prominent position within the G42 District in AI Hall 6, emphasizing our function as the digital infrastructure segment of the G42 network. The Intelligence Grid vision from G42 is transforming how countries can cultivate AI-native societies by merging infrastructure, intelligence, and innovation into a singular framework. Alongside our affiliated companies, we are actualizing this vision, and our presence at GITEX GLOBAL 2025 illustrates how our offerings manifest in real-life impacts that enhance the UAE’s AI leadership while establishing benchmarks for secure and internationally competitive AI frameworks.
A key component of our exhibition is the unveiling of our AI Cloud service, a high-performance, sovereign platform that consolidates all top accelerators into one environment to address all training, fine-tuning, and inference requirements. Additionally, we are presenting our Sovereign Public Cloud, the upcoming Signature Private Cloud, and the Compass generative AI platform, in conjunction with fresh strategic alliances that will bolster the UAE’s global leadership.
Through our involvement, we aspire to showcase how we are operationalizing G42’s Intelligence Grid and laying the groundwork for the next digital epoch.
Which emerging technologies are you prioritizing this year
This year, our emphasis is on operational technologies that facilitate AI at scale. We are committing resources to the infrastructure, platforms, and controls necessary to transition AI from pilot projects to full enterprise capabilities. Our AI Cloud grants users immediate access to the most sophisticated accelerators within a sovereign, high-performance setting. This approach ensures swift training, fine-tuning, and inference without compromising compliance or data integrity. Simultaneously, Compass, our generative AI platform, is making generative and agentic AI more accessible through a secure set of APIs that empower developers to innovate confidently.
We recognize that these technologies are crucial for assisting both governments and enterprises in evolving from using AI tools to fully embedding intelligence into their essential workflows. Our mission at Core42 is to facilitate this transition by making advanced AI accessible, reliable, and influential, ensuring organizations can build their digital futures on a foundation that harmonizes performance with sovereignty.
In what ways is Core42 shaping the future of AI infrastructure and digital sovereignty
We contend that the future of AI relies on sovereign infrastructures that blend performance, trust, and accessibility. Governments and organizations wish to innovate with assurance, knowing their data, models, and operations remain in their control. Core42 has demonstrated that sovereignty and scale can coexist effectively, a model now recognized globally as a blueprint for responsible AI integration.
We are establishing this foundation across every layer of our infrastructure. The Sovereign Public Cloud has already equipped over 50 public and private entities to securely conduct vital operations within national boundaries, while the forthcoming Signature Private Cloud will enhance these capabilities for classified and heavily regulated environments.
Our AI Cloud consolidates leading accelerators into a single, sovereign platform designed for extensive training and inference, while Compass facilitates access to generative and agentic AI via secure APIs. Collectively, these technologies are pioneering a new category of sovereign infrastructure that fosters innovation, ensures compliance, and empowers nations and enterprises to lead in the AI landscape.
G42’s theme at GITEX this year is ‘Building AI-Native Nations.’ How is Core42 actualizing this vision in the UAE and beyond
Building AI-Native Nations embodies what the UAE aims to achieve—an economy and society fundamentally constructed on AI. At Core42, we are actively translating this vision into reality by delivering the digital foundations necessary for its realization. Our role within the G42 network includes providing the sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure essential for governments and enterprises to securely, responsibly, and according to regulations expand innovation. This foundation supports the integration of intelligence into public services, national frameworks, and industries that influence daily life.
In the UAE, our initiative is already in progress. Our Sovereign Public Cloud facilitates the digital transformation of key governmental bodies, while the Signature Private Cloud will broaden these functionalities to cover the most sensitive and regulated tasks. The AI Cloud and Compass platform enable the crafting of secure, high-performance AI solutions across sectors including energy, healthcare, finance, and education.
Globally, we are exporting this model through collaborations that enhance sovereign AI capability across various regions. In France, we have partnered with AMD to create a cutting-edge AI data center in Grenoble and collaborated with Oréus to offer in-country access to scalable computational resources. In Italy, our alliance with iGenius has led to the deployment of Europe’s largest AI compute cluster powered by NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, representing a significant achievement in advancing sovereign AI infrastructure for European markets.
Additionally, we have recently made OpenAI’s latest open-weight AI models accessible globally via our AI cloud platform, enabling businesses, researchers, and developers to utilize models across leading silicon platforms with sovereign, scalable, and high-performance capabilities. Moreover, we have established a strategic partnership with Northern Data Group to provide substantial European sovereign AI Cloud capacity, supported by up to 10,000 GPUs from its Taiga Cloud division, addressing the rising demand for high-performance computing.
Collectively, these initiatives demonstrate how we are converting the UAE’s AI aspirations into tangible achievements, from the infrastructure that fuels national platforms to the mechanisms that facilitate secure, scalable AI adoption. By providing sovereign, high-performance computing and advanced AI resources to both governments and enterprises, we are assisting nations in transitioning from AI ambition to realization, ensuring intelligence becomes a fundamental utility for growth, resilience, and global competitiveness in every country.
Indeed, “Building AI-Native Nations” is more than a slogan for us; it is a framework we are actively implementing through Core42’s innovations, partnerships, and expertise.
The global race for AI is intensifying across regions and sectors. What are the primary opportunities you foresee for Core42’s expansion and influence in the future
AI has now become the cornerstone of digital transformation, and the most significant opportunities exist where nations and organizations aim to scale it in a secure and responsible manner. For Core42, this entails growth in three main areas: expanding sovereign cloud capacity, enhancing AI infrastructure, and facilitating operational AI across various sectors.
In the UAE, we plan to deepen relationships with federal agencies and critical industries to accelerate national AI adoption. We are collaborating with governmental institutions and regulatory bodies to modernize essential services, elevate data-driven decision-making, and integrate intelligence into national frameworks that enhance efficiency and citizen experiences.
On a global scale, there is a rising interest in the UAE’s model of sovereign AI infrastructure. We are currently partnering with stakeholders across Europe to replicate this strategy, aiding countries in developing secure, high-performance AI ecosystems that harmonize innovation with sovereignty, compliance, and governance. These collaborations focus not only on technology deployment but also on knowledge transfer and capability development to enable nations to cultivate their own AI competencies, enhance digital resilience, and emulate the UAE’s success in fostering a globally competitive, AI-driven economy.
Looking forward, the most significant opportunity lies in operationalizing AI, shifting from pilot programs to comprehensive platforms that empower economies, cities, and organizations. With our robust suite, including the AI Cloud, Sovereign Public Cloud, and the upcoming Signature Private Cloud, alongside the Managed Services we offer our clients, Core42 is poised to facilitate this transition, assisting nations and organizations in turning AI ambitions into substantial results.