du and Open Innovation AI Partner to Advance UAE’s Sovereign Agentic AI Ecosystem
UAE telecom and digital services provider du has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Open Innovation AI, a UAE-based AI infrastructure and workload orchestration company, to accelerate the adoption of sovereign Agentic AI solutions across government entities and enterprises.
The agreement, facilitated in collaboration with the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC), was signed during the Digital Readiness Retreat 2026 in Dubai. The partnership aims to strengthen the UAE’s sovereign AI ecosystem by combining du Tech’s National Hypercloud infrastructure with Open Innovation AI’s GPU orchestration and AI workload management platform.
The MoU was signed by Jasim Al Awadi, Chief ICT Officer at du, and Dr. Abed Benaichouche, Co-Founder and CEO of Open Innovation AI, in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cyber Security Council. The collaboration reflects the UAE’s commitment to advancing secure, locally governed AI capabilities that align with national cybersecurity and digital transformation objectives.
A key component of the initiative is the integration of du Tech’s National Hypercloud platform, which recently received certification from the UAE Cyber Security Council, with Open Innovation AI’s orchestration technology. The combined platform will enable public and private sector organizations to deploy, manage, and scale autonomous Agentic AI workloads while ensuring compliance with national data sovereignty and security requirements.
His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti emphasized the importance of sovereign AI as a national priority, stating that the partnership represents a significant step toward building secure in-country AI infrastructure capable of protecting the UAE’s digital future. He noted that the Cyber Security Council remains committed to supporting AI innovation that is securely governed within the UAE’s jurisdiction.
The collaboration will focus on several strategic areas, including GPU orchestration, AI resource management, sovereign AI platform development, commercial deployment opportunities, and joint market initiatives. The partnership is expected to provide organizations with secure access to advanced AI computing resources while maintaining full control over data, models, and infrastructure.
Jasim Al Awadi, Chief ICT Officer at du, said the partnership would create the foundational infrastructure required for the next generation of AI-powered operations. He highlighted that combining the Cyber Security Council-certified National Hypercloud with Open Innovation AI’s orchestration platform would enable government entities and enterprises to deploy autonomous AI workforces with confidence, supported by secure, compliant, and high-performance infrastructure.
As part of the agreement, the two organizations will evaluate opportunities to establish sovereign AI and GPU orchestration capabilities on du Tech’s National Hypercloud infrastructure. The initiative is designed to support the UAE’s growing demand for trusted AI services while embedding cybersecurity, governance, and data sovereignty at the infrastructure level.
Dr. Abed Benaichouche, Co-Founder and CEO of Open Innovation AI, described the partnership as a major milestone in the UAE’s sovereign AI journey. He noted that integrating Open Innovation AI’s Sovereign AI Fabric with du Tech’s National Hypercloud would provide government entities and businesses with secure, locally hosted AI computing resources while ensuring that critical data and AI models remain within the UAE.
The agreement further expands du’s growing ecosystem of AI partnerships and reinforces the company’s position as a key sovereign infrastructure provider through its du Tech platform. By enabling secure AI deployment and governance, the collaboration is expected to support the UAE’s ambitions of becoming a global leader in trusted artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
