Nvidia, a Silicon Valley chipmaker, has announced that it has signed an agreement with Ooredoo, Qatar’s largest telecom group, to share its artificial intelligence (AI) technology. While the specifics of the deal have not been disclosed, it marks Nvidia’s first major launch in a region where the export of sophisticated U.S. chips to Chinese firms has been restricted by the U.S. government to prevent the access of the newest AI technology through Middle Eastern countries.
The agreement allows Ooredoo to use Nvidia’s equipment at data centers in Qatar, Algeria, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait and Maldives. According to Ronnie Vasishta, Senior Vice President of telecom at Nvidia, providing the technology will enable Ooredoo to help its customers deploy generative AI applications more effectively. However, the companies did not specify which elements of Nvidia’s technology will be shared with Ooredoo nor did they disclose the value of the deal. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of TM Forum in Copenhagen on June 19th
