Nvidia to deploy AI tech at Ooredoo’s data centers in Middle East

Nvidia AI: Nvidia has entered an agreement to deploy its artificial intelligence technology at Ooredoo's data centres in five Middle Eastern countries, Ooredoo's CEO revealed to Reuters. 

The deal marks Nvidia's inaugural large-scale launch in a region where the export of advanced US chips has been restricted by Washington to prevent Chinese firms from accessing the latest AI technology through Middle Eastern channels.

Ooredoo, a Qatari telecoms group, will be the first in the region to provide its data centre clients in Qatar, Algeria, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait, and the Maldives with direct access to Nvidia's AI and graphics processing technology, according to a company statement. This capability will enable Ooredoo to support its customers more effectively in deploying generative AI applications, said Nvidia's senior vice president of telecom, Ronnie Vasishta.

"Our business clients, thanks to this agreement, will gain access to services that their competitors might not have for another 18 to 24 months," Ooredoo's CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo told Reuters.

The financial details of the deal, signed during the TM Forum in Copenhagen on June 19, were not disclosed. Ooredoo also did not specify the exact Nvidia technology to be installed, stating it would depend on availability and customer demand.

While Washington permits some Nvidia technology exports to the Middle East, it restricts the most advanced chips. Ooredoo is investing $1 billion to increase its regional data centre capacity by 20 to 25 additional megawatts, adding to its current 40 megawatts, with plans to nearly triple this capacity by the decade's end, according to Fakhroo.

The company has spun off its data centres into a separate entity, following a similar strategy last year to create the Middle East's largest tower company in collaboration with Kuwait's Zain and Dubai's TASC Towers Holding. Ooredoo also intends to separate its undersea cables and fibre network into a distinct company, Fakhroo added.

(With Reuters inputs)