G42, legally Group 42 Holding Ltd, is an Emirati artificial intelligence (AI) development holding company founded in 2018 and based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The company focuses on developing and deploying AI systems at scale through infrastructure and cloud-based platforms used across government and enterprise sectors, including healthcare and energy applications, as part of its broader AI ecosystem. It operates through a portfolio of subsidiaries and partnerships, positioning itself as a regional and global player in Artificial intelligence and Generative AI.
The company is chaired by Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan from the ruling family of the UAE, and Peng Xiao serves as founder and Group CEO. G42 has attracted significant international investment, including from Microsoft and Silver Lake, and has been involved in high-profile AI infrastructure projects such as Stargate UAE.
Governance
G42 is chaired by the National Security Advisor of the UAE, Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also its controlling shareholder. Peng Xiao is the founder, group chief executive officer, and a member of the board of directors. The Board of Directors includes Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, managing director and group chief executive officer of Mubadala Investment Company; Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance; Brad Smith, president and vice chair of Microsoft; Egon Durban, co-chief executive officer of Silver Lake; and Martin Edelman. This governance structure reflects deep ties to both UAE state entities and major global technology investors.
History: 2018–2020
G42 was founded in 2018 and is based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The company applies research and development and deploys AI solutions through its portfolio companies across various industries. In December 2019, Group 42 announced signing an agreement of strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADDH) to establish a joint venture called Adalytyx.
As of 2019, G42 was reported by The New York Times to be the sole registered shareholder of ToTok, a messaging, video, and voice-calling application. The app was widely downloaded in multiple regions. In December 2019, The New York Times reported allegations that the application was used for surveillance purposes. Following the report, ToTok was removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
In January 2020, G42 announced the acquisition of Bayanat for Mapping and Surveying Services LLC, an end-to-end provider of geospatial data products and services. In 2020, state-owned Mubadala Investment Company took a stake in the company, transferring ownership of two information technology companies, Injazat and Khazna, to G42. In June 2020, G42 partnered with Sinopharm for clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine and in March 2021, they decided to produce the vaccine in Abu Dhabi. In July 2020, G42 announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the two Israeli defense groups, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries to research and develop methods to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which the Israeli subsidiary Elta confirmed.
In 2020, reports stated that G42 was involved in the distribution of COVID-19 testing kits manufactured by BGI Group in Nevada. Some U.S. officials raised concerns regarding data privacy and the use of genetic sequencing technology. During the same period, reports also stated that G42 was cooperating with BGI on a genomics initiative in the UAE to develop a population-scale genetic dataset.
History: 2021–2023
In April 2021, American private equity firm Silver Lake invested $800 million for a minority stake in G42. In July 2023, G42 entered an agreement with Cerebras to develop and deploy AI supercomputing systems using Cerebras’ hardware. The initial deployment was reported to be valued at approximately $100 million and was intended for AI applications, including large-scale data analysis and healthcare-related workloads. The systems were described as providing high-performance computing capacity for AI training.
In October 2023, a partnership was announced with OpenAI, the AI research and deployment company responsible for ChatGPT. In November 2023, the 42X Fund, associated with G42 acquired a $100 million stake in ByteDance, which was divested approximately four months later amid efforts to reassure U.S. partners. The same month, The New York Times reported that U.S. officials had expressed concerns about G42’s technology partnerships, including the use of Huawei equipment and its interactions with Chinese companies such as BGI Group. Following the report, G42 stated that it would phase out Huawei equipment.
History: 2024–present
In January 2024, the United States House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party requested export controls on G42 and related companies. In response, G42 stated in February 2024 that it had divested from investments in China. In March 2024, the Abu Dhabi government launched an investment firm specializing in AI technologies called MGX, with G42 and Mubadala as founding partners.
In April 2024, Microsoft announced a $1.5 billion investment in G42. As part of the agreement, Microsoft's president, Brad Smith, joined G42's board of directors, and the company adopted Microsoft Azure as a core platform for AI development and deployment. In July 2024, members of the committee requested a U.S. government review of G42’s foreign ties in relation to the proposed investment by Microsoft, which was subsequently structured with additional oversight provisions.
At GITEX Global in October 2024, G42 presented its "Intelligence Grid", described in reporting as a framework within its broader ecosystem that integrates AI infrastructure, cloud services, and large-scale computing systems to support national-scale artificial intelligence deployment. In February 2025, G42 and DataOne partnered to create an AI data center in France that will be powered by AMD hardware and Core42’s infrastructure. That same month, G42 and Microsoft launched the Responsible AI Foundation, an initiative aimed at promoting responsible AI standards and governance frameworks in the Middle East and Global South. The initiative includes collaboration with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.
On May 22, 2025, G42 announced the Stargate UAE AI infrastructure project in partnership with OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, SoftBank Group, and Cisco. The project, based in Abu Dhabi, involves the development of large-scale computing infrastructure in the UAE, with G42 acting as a regional partner in its implementation. Reporting described plans for phased deployment of high-capacity AI computing infrastructure, with initial operations expected to begin in 2026. Also in May 2025, U.S. and UAE officials announced an agreement involving the development of an AI campus in the UAE. Later reporting indicated ongoing policy discussions regarding access to advanced semiconductor technologies, including security conditions governing access to AI chips. The U.S. Department of Commerce later authorized the export of advanced semiconductors equivalent to 35,000 Nvidia Blackwell chips to G42 in November 2025.
Impact and partnerships
G42’s activities span multiple domains, including healthcare, energy, and national-scale AI infrastructure. Its partnerships with major technology firms such as Microsoft, OpenAI, and Cerebras position it as a key intermediary for AI deployment in the Middle East. The company’s involvement in projects like Stargate UAE and its adoption of Amazon Web Services alternatives like Microsoft Azure highlight its role in shaping regional AI ecosystems. However, its history has also included scrutiny over data privacy and geopolitical concerns, particularly regarding ties to Chinese entities and surveillance allegations, which have influenced its investment strategies and operational decisions.