Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute have launched a joint research lab in the United Arab Emirates which will focus on developing next-generation AI models and robotics platforms, Reuters reported.
The joint research hub is the first Nvidia AI Technology Center in the Middle East, the report added, citing a statement from TII, combining its multidisciplinary research with the U.S. tech giant’s computing power that is boosting a global AI boom.
Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.
Under the deal, the institute will be able to use specific edge graphics processing unit, or GPU, chips to advance its research on robotics, among other things, according to Najwa Aaraj, the CEO of TII, which is working on humanoids, four-legged robots and robotic arms, the report noted.
“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 in an interview, the report added.
TII is the applied research unit of the Advanced Technology Research Council, an Abu Dhabi government entity which is part of the UAE’s efforts to compete in the global AI race.
Aaraj said that TII has worked closely with Nvidia for some time and that the institute has been using Nvidia chips to train its own language models, the report noted.
Aaraj added that talks for the joint lab began about a year ago and the hub will host teams from both parties, with more staff to be hired specifically for the project.
During U.S. President Donald Trump visit to the Middle East in May, the UAE inked a multi-billion dollar deal to set up one of the world’s largest data center hubs in Abu Dhabi with the help of U.S. technology, including the most advanced Nvidia chips. However, the deal has not been finalized amid security woes due to the UAE’s ties to China, the report noted.