Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella has taken an important step to sign a deal with G42, Abu Dhabi-based AI company. The deal is on the lines of a deal with OpenAI. Nadella is known for his negotiating and deal signing skills. His deal with OpenAI has left the likes of Facebook, Google, Apple and even Tesla’s Musk amazed. As far as AI is concerned, Microsoft happens to be in the driving seat. Nadella is not a man who prefers to rest on his laurels. He signed a deal with Inflection AI and hired Mustafa Suleyman (co-founder of DeepMind) and CEO Inflection AI to head the independent division of AI at Microsoft. He thus gets the best technical brains in the world to work for Microsoft.

A new feather Nadella has added to his cap by signing a $1.5 billion deal with G42, Abu Dhabi-based AI company. This company has Chinese connections, including much maligned Huawei. You can imagine how difficult it must have been to broach this subject with the US authorities. Despite this he got the deal and, in the bargain, persuaded G42 to sever its Chinse connection. There is co-ordination between the governments both UAE and the USA.

G42 is furthering its mission to deliver cutting-edge AI techniques at scale leveraging the strategic investment of Microsoft.