US networking and security giant Cisco and UAE-based artificial intelligence group G42 have announced an enhanced collaboration to build a large-scale, secure AI infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates, aligned with the broader US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership.
Under the agreement, Cisco will supply, integrate and secure a full-stack AI cluster for G42, incorporating its compute, networking, security, storage and optical systems. The hardware will include servers equipped with AMD’s MI350X graphics processing units, marking a direct investment in cutting-edge accelerator technology.
The deployment will be integrated within G42’s “Regulated Technology Environment” framework, designed to enforce transparency and governance and to prevent unauthorised access or data transfer.
The initiative builds on earlier flagship projects in the US-UAE partnership, including a 1-gigawatt Stargate UAE cluster under construction in Abu Dhabi and a 5-gigawatt UAE–US AI technology campus announced during a US delegation visit earlier this year.
Peng Xiao, G42’s Group Chief Executive, said the collaboration “represents the next phase of deepening trust and technological alignment between the US and UAE under the AI Acceleration Partnership,” reinforcing the goal of building high-performance, sovereign, compliant AI infrastructure.
Chuck Robbins, Cisco’s Chair and Chief Executive, said the deal strengthens Cisco’s role in the UAE’s digital transformation journey and supports responsible innovation.
Dr Lisa Su, Chair and Chief Executive of AMD, said the company is “proud to partner with Cisco and G42 to power the next generation of AI infrastructure in the UAE”. She said AMD’s Instinct MI350X accelerators provide “the performance, efficiency and scalability needed to advance secure, sovereign AI innovation” and that the initiative “strengthens the UAE’s position as a global leader in innovative AI development”.
Cisco research cited in the release shows that 92 percent of organisations in the UAE plan to deploy AI agents and 41 percent expect those agents to work alongside employees within a year, yet only 25 percent currently have robust GPU capacity. The partnership aims to narrow that gap.
The companies said final deployment is subject to US and UAE regulatory clearances and licensing.
The announcement underscores the strategic role of trusted US technology suppliers in the Gulf’s push to build sovereign AI-capable infrastructure and the UAE’s ambition to become a global AI hub.
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