KAUST has unveiled Shaheen III, the most powerful supercomputer in the Middle East and 18th globally, built by HPE. The system uses 2,800 NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, tripling the processing power of its predecessor. Shaheen III will support research in Arabic LLMs, climate modeling, remote sensing, automated chemistry, and AI-driven healthcare. Why it matters: This infrastructure investment strengthens Saudi Arabia's position in AI and computational research, enabling advances tailored to the region's needs and priorities.
G42 and the Government of India formalized a commercial framework for the deployment of Condor Galaxy India, an 8-exaflop AI supercomputing cluster comprising 64 Cerebras CS-3 systems. This agreement, witnessed by the UAE President and Indian Prime Minister, positions G42 to partner with India's Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) for installation and operations. The supercomputer is intended to be a foundational asset for India's sovereign AI ambitions and underpin joint R&D across health, genomics, energy, and geospatial analytics. Why it matters: This major infrastructure partnership significantly advances AI capabilities in India, deepens strategic ties between the UAE and India, and expands G42's global footprint in high-performance computing.
G42 and Cerebras, in partnership with MBZUAI and C-DAC, will deploy an 8 exaflop AI supercomputer in India. The system will operate under India's governance and security frameworks as part of the India AI Mission. It will provide access to compute for researchers, startups, and government entities. Why it matters: This deployment represents a major boost to India's AI infrastructure and sovereign AI capabilities, expanding access to advanced compute resources in the region.
G42 and Cerebras, in partnership with MBZUAI and C-DAC, will deploy an 8 exaflop AI supercomputer in India. The system will operate under India's governance frameworks, with all data remaining within national jurisdiction to meet sovereign security and compliance requirements. The supercomputer will be accessible to Indian researchers, startups, and government entities under the India AI Mission.
Cerebras Systems is planning a significant expansion in the UAE, aiming to deploy more of its AI supercomputers in the region. The company is partnering with Abu Dhabi's G42 to provide the computing power necessary for G42's AI models. Cerebras already has three of its systems deployed in the UAE and anticipates further installations. Why it matters: This expansion highlights the UAE's growing importance as a hub for AI development and the increasing demand for high-performance computing in the region.
Investments from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, including Abu Dhabi's Mubadala and Saudi Arabia's PIF, are increasingly fueling AI initiatives in Silicon Valley and Wall Street. These funds are backing companies like Microsoft, which is building a $100 billion AI supercomputer, and investing in AI-focused hedge funds. The investments reflect a strategic move to diversify economies and gain influence in the rapidly growing AI sector. Why it matters: The trend highlights the growing importance of Middle Eastern capital in shaping the future of AI development and deployment globally.
KAUST researchers have been selected as finalists for two ACM Gordon Bell Prizes for high-performance computing. One project used NVIDIA GPUs to enhance genetic studies from the UK Biobank, achieving 133x speedup over existing software. The other developed an exascale climate emulator with higher spatial-temporal resolution than current models, demonstrated on supercomputers like Shaheen III. Why it matters: The recognition highlights KAUST's strength in high-performance computing research and its contributions to both genetic analysis and climate modeling.
KAUST's Shaheen III has been confirmed as the Middle East’s most powerful supercomputer, ranking 20th globally. Built by HPE, Shaheen III is six times faster than KAUST’s existing Shaheen II system, exceeding the processing power of 500,000 MacBook Pros. It will support mathematical model construction for scientific discovery, engineering design, and policy support, particularly in sustainability and alignment with Vision 2030. Why it matters: This positions KAUST and Saudi Arabia as leaders in high-performance computing, enabling advanced research across climate change, clean energy, and other critical fields.