Nvidia Corp. has recently inked a deal with Qatari telecoms group Ooredoo to provide artificial intelligence technology to data centres in five Middle Eastern countries. This partnership was solidified during the TM Forum in Copenhagen on June 19. Ooredoo is now a Nvidia Corp Cloud Partner, aligning with its goal to be the top digital infrastructure provider in the Middle East and North Africa.
By leveraging Nvidia Corp’s cutting-edge accelerated computing platform, Ooredoo aims to drive the AI revolution in the region. This initiative is expected to benefit various sectors in Qatar, Algeria, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait, and the Maldives. This agreement signifies Nvidia Corp’s major entry into the region, despite U.S. export restrictions on high-performance chips to prevent Chinese companies from accessing them through Middle Eastern nations.
With a $1 billion investment to expand its data centre capacity by 20–25 additional megawatts, Nvidia Corp plans to triple its capacity by the end of the decade. Ronnie Vasishta, Nvidia’s senior vice president of telecom, highlighted that this technology will empower Ooredoo to assist its customers in deploying generative AI applications effectively. Moreover, Ooredoo’s decision to separate its data centres into a distinct entity mirrors its previous move to establish the largest tower company in the Middle East in collaboration with Kuwait’s Zain and Dubai’s TASC Towers Holding. Additionally, Ooredoo intends to create a separate entity for its undersea cables and fibre network.
This landmark deal marks Nvidia Corp’s significant expansion into a region where Washington has restricted the export of advanced U.S. chips to prevent Chinese entities from exploiting Middle Eastern countries as a gateway to access the latest AI technology.
