By George Ward
Prominent US-based chip maker NVIDIA has announced its presence in the Middle East following a collaboration with Ooredoo, Qatar’s leading telecom provider. According to reports citing Ooredoo’s CEO, Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, the partnership with NVIDIA will open the region’s access to NVIDIA’s artificial intelligence (AI) and graphics card technology.
Enhancing Data Center Capabilities
The partnership with Nvidia will enable the Qatari telecoms giant, which has a presence in Qatar, Algeria, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait, and the Maldives, to enhance its data center capabilities. According to the deal terms, Nvidia will implement cutting-edge technology within Ooredoo’s data centers to improve the deployment of apps that utilize generative artificial intelligence.
Ooredoo intends to invest more than one billion dollars to increase the capacity of its regional data center by an additional 20-25 megawatts; its current capacity is 40 megawatts. This collaboration becomes particularly relevant when viewed against the backdrop of current export restrictions imposed by the United States government on Nvidia’s AI chips to specific Middle Eastern countries.
With a market capitalization of over $3.34 trillion, Nvidia recently surpassed Apple and Microsoft to become the world’s most valuable publicly traded firm. The company’s pre-eminent position in providing advanced artificial intelligence semiconductor chips for high-end data centers worldwide highlights its vital role in the AI industry.
Meta Platforms Inc. Stock Surges and AI Collaborations
Following reports of a possible AI alliance with Apple, the stock price of Meta Platforms Inc. surged significantly. Meta’s stock gained 2.13% from the previous close to trade at $503.50 at the time of writing.
Meta has outperformed the S&P 500 substantially this year, with a year-to-date return of 42.87%. Excellent performance measures and a favorable outlook on future partnerships in the artificial intelligence sector have led analysts to maintain optimism about Meta’s stock price in the long term.
The impending partnership with Apple could result in Meta’s cutting-edge artificial intelligence models being incorporated into Apple’s ecosystem, increasing the capabilities of Apple’s entire range of products.
Apple’s AI Initiatives and Regulatory Considerations
Regardless, Apple is moving forward with its artificial intelligence products. The company recently said it intends to integrate “Apple Intelligence” throughout its applications and partnered with OpenAI to enhance Siri with ChatGPT capabilities.
Apple is implementing these innovations as part of a larger strategy to seamlessly integrate artificial intelligence capabilities into its products, improving the user experience while adhering to high privacy requirements. This partnership will reduce the dependency on singular AI providers, positioning Apple at the forefront of AI innovation in consumer technology.
Despite European Union regulations impacting rollout timelines in the region, Apple remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing AI capabilities across its latest operating systems.