du, a leading UAE telecom and digital services provider, has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Open Innovation AI to advance the nation’s sovereign Agentic AI capabilities. The collaboration, supported by the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC), aims to drive secure, in-country AI adoption across government entities and enterprises.
The agreement was signed at the Digital Readiness Retreat 2026 in Dubai by Jasim Al Awadi, Chief ICT Officer at du, and Dr. Abed Benaichouche, Co-Founder and CEO of Open Innovation AI, in the presence of H.E. Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti. The endorsement highlights the growing alignment between AI innovation and national security priorities.
“Sovereign AI is a critical national security priority… this collaboration represents the secure in-country AI infrastructure orchestration the UAE requires,” said H.E. Dr Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cyber Security Council.
At the core of the partnership is the integration of du Tech’s CSC-certified National Hypercloud platform with Open Innovation AI’s advanced GPU orchestration and AI infrastructure management capabilities. This combined solution will enable organizations to deploy and scale autonomous AI agents and workloads securely within the UAE, ensuring compliance with local regulations and data sovereignty requirements.
The collaboration focuses on building a sovereign AI ecosystem, allowing enterprises to access high-performance compute resources without relying on external infrastructure. It will also support initiatives such as AI platform development, technical integration, joint go-to-market strategies, and commercial deployment opportunities.
“By merging du Tech’s National Hypercloud with Open Innovation AI’s orchestration platform, we are delivering the secure backbone for in-country Agentic AI deployment,” said Jasim Al Awadi, Chief ICT Officer, du.
Dr. Abed Benaichouche emphasized that the partnership marks a key milestone in creating secure, locally governed AI infrastructure, enabling organizations to maintain control over data, models, and operations within UAE jurisdiction.
As part of its broader vision, du is expanding its AI partner ecosystem through its du Tech sub-brand, reinforcing its role as a leading provider of secure digital infrastructure and cloud innovation. The initiative is expected to accelerate adoption of trusted AI services, agentic AI applications, and intelligent automation across sectors.
With cybersecurity governance embedded at its foundation, the partnership aligns with the UAE’s national digital strategy and supports the development of a resilient, scalable, and secure AI-driven economy, positioning the country as a global leader in sovereign AI innovation.
