Microsoft Makes High-Stakes Play in Tech Cold War With Emirati A.I. Deal
Microsoft said it would invest $1.5 billion in G42, an Emirati company with ties to China, as Washington and Beijing maneuver to secure tech influence in the Persian Gulf.
Microsoft said on Tuesday that it would make a $1.5 billion investment in G42, an artificial intelligence giant in the United Arab Emirates, in a deal largely orchestrated by the Biden administration to box out China as Washington and Beijing battle over who will exercise technological influence in the Persian Gulf region and beyond.
Under the partnership, Microsoft will give G42 permission to sell Microsoft services that use powerful A.I. chips, which are used to train and fine-tune generative A.I. models. In return, G42, which has been under scrutiny by Washington for its ties to China, will use Microsoft’s cloud services and accede to a security arrangement negotiated in detailed conversations with the U.S. government. It places a series of protections on the A.I. products shared with G42 and includes an agreement to strip Chinese gear out of G42’s operations, among other steps.
“When it comes to emerging technology, you cannot be both in China’s camp and our camp,” said Gina Raimondo, the commerce secretary, who traveled twice to the Emirates to talk about security arrangements for this and other partnerships.
