UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar discussed regional developments and bilateral relations during a meeting in Abu Dhabi. They highlighted opportunities to enhance cooperation, particularly in the economic sector. The leaders also exchanged views on various regional and international issues of mutual interest. Why it matters: Strengthening UAE's diplomatic and economic ties with European nations like Slovenia can unlock new opportunities for AI collaboration and investment.
The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is hosting an AI seminar by Kajetan Schweighofer on October 28, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM GST. TII describes itself as a global research center focused on discovery science and transformative technologies. The seminar series is part of TII's efforts to share its developments and research. Why it matters: Such seminars contribute to the growth of the AI ecosystem in the UAE by facilitating knowledge sharing and collaboration.
KAUST Professor Peter Richtárik received a Distinguished Speaker Award at the Sixth International Conference on Continuous Optimization (ICCOPT 2019) in Berlin. Richtárik's lecture series, totaling six hours, focused on stochastic gradient descent (SGD) methods, drawing from recent research by his KAUST group. He highlighted key principles and new variants of SGD, the key method for training modern machine learning models. Why it matters: This award recognizes KAUST's contribution to fundamental machine learning optimization, which is critical for advancing AI in the region.
KAUST PhD student Zahra Al-Saffar won first prize for her poster presentation at the 52nd European Marine Biology Symposium (EMBS) in Piran, Slovenia in September 2017. Her research was presented in poster format. The symposium focuses on marine biology research. Why it matters: This award recognizes promising research by a KAUST student in the field of marine biology.
The Technology Innovation Institute's Cryptography Research Center (CRC) in Abu Dhabi has appointed a Board of Advisors comprised of global cryptography experts. The board includes Prof. Joan Daemen, Prof. Lejla Batina, Dr. Guido Bertoni, Prof. Carlos Aguilar, Prof. Damien Stehlé, and Prof. Tim Güneysu. The advisors will guide CRC's research efforts in areas like post-quantum cryptography and hardware-based cryptography. Why it matters: This move strengthens the UAE's position as a global hub for cryptography research and development, fostering innovation in this critical field.
Core42, a G42 company specializing in AI infrastructure, has established its European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. This expansion aims to better serve European enterprises and governments seeking secure, high-performance infrastructure for scaling AI adoption. Core42 has already partnered with companies in France and Italy to deliver AI infrastructure. Why it matters: The move signifies G42's increasing investment in and focus on the European AI market, positioning the UAE as a key player in the global AI landscape.