Ooredoo, Nvidia to develop AI platform in MENA

Telecom operator Ooredoo Group has signed a deal to become an Nvidia Cloud Partner (NCP) to enable the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

In a statement, Ooredoo said it is leveraging Nvidia's advanced accelerated computing platform as part of the partnership to help enable the AI revolution in the region.

Furthermore, the company said it is developing an AI-ready platform powered by Nvidia's full-stack innovation across systems, software and services.

According to Ooredoo, the platform will serve as a resource, supporting governments and empowering enterprises and startups to securely process their private datasets. It will also produce insights as tokens that power innovations for its users.

"Implementing Nvidia's full-stack platform for accelerated computing and generative AI, Ooredoo is equipped to be at the forefront of the AI revolution in MENA, driving digitalization and innovation as a digital infrastructure provider in the region," said Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo.

AI-ready platform's regional impact

The company added that through the collaboration, governments, enterprises, and startups in Qatar, Algeria, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait and the Maldives will have access to Nvidia's latest full-stack AI platform.

That will be facilitated by Ooredoo deploying thousands of Nvidia Tensor Core GPUs in its AI data centers to create a GPU-as-a-Service offering for the region.

Ooredoo's AI-ready platform is powered by Nvidia's full-stack innovation across systems, software, and services. (Source: DC Studio on Freepik)

"By providing Nvidia's full-stack AI computing platform to customers, Ooredoo will help make it easier for their customers to deploy generative AI applications and services," explained Nvidia Senior Vice President of Telecom Ronnie Vasishta.

Ooredoo added that its partnership with Nvidia is part of its larger aim to boost AI infrastructure in the MENA region while enabling enhanced security, optimized performance and customization to align with local standards.

Ooredoo's MENA pursuits

Ooredoo's latest partnership comes at a time when the company has been signing deals to enhance its visibility in the region.

Earlier this year, its Algerian subsidiary signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Algérie Télécom (AT) to exchange ideas on innovative services and share infrastructure.

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Under that MoU, Ooredoo and AT – through its Mobilis division – will launch partnership programs that entail the sharing of services and infrastructure.

The Ooredoo and AT MoU follows a partnership in December 2023 between Ooredoo, Zain and independent tower company TASC Towers to create what they claim will be the largest tower company in the MENA region.

*Top image is of Nvidia Senior Vice President of Telecom Ronnie Vasishta and Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo. (Source: Ooredoo).

— Matshepo Sehloho, Associate Editor, Connecting Africa