Abu Dhabi’s artificial intelligence firm G42 has announced a strategic partnership with U.S. chipmaker Cerebras Systems to deploy a massive artificial intelligence computing system in India. The collaboration aims to establish 8 exaflops of AI computing capacity, representing one of the largest such deployments announced for the region to date.
Details of the Strategic Partnership
The agreement will see G42 utilize Cerebras’s specialized wafer-scale engine technology to build the new computing infrastructure. An exaflop is a unit of computing speed equal to one quintillion, or 10^18, floating-point operations per second. The planned 8 exaflops of compute power is specifically designed for training and running large-scale AI models, a process that demands immense processing capabilities.
This initiative is part of G42’s broader international expansion and focus on developing sovereign AI capabilities in partnership with nations. The company has previously engaged in similar high-profile technology partnerships and investments globally. Cerebras Systems, known for designing some of the world’s largest computer chips, provides an alternative to traditional GPU clusters for AI workloads.
Context and Strategic Importance
The deployment is positioned to support India’s growing ambitions in the artificial intelligence sector. The Indian government and private industry have been actively seeking to build domestic capacity in cutting-edge technologies, including generative AI and machine learning. Access to this level of supercomputing power could accelerate research, innovation, and commercial application development within the country.
For Cerebras, the partnership represents a significant commercial win and validation of its wafer-scale approach in a major, competitive market. The company’s architecture is designed to overcome bottlenecks associated with connecting thousands of smaller GPUs, potentially offering more efficient training for certain types of AI models.
Industry Implications and Reactions
The announcement underscores the intensifying global race for AI compute resources. As AI models grow larger and more complex, access to specialized supercomputing infrastructure has become a critical strategic asset for nations and corporations. Partnerships between sovereign wealth-backed entities like G42 and specialized hardware firms are becoming a common model for rapidly scaling capability.
Analysts note that such deals can reduce dependency on the dominant cloud providers and GPU suppliers, fostering a more diversified and resilient AI hardware ecosystem. The specific location within India and the local partners involved in the deployment are expected to be detailed in subsequent announcements.
Next Steps and Project Timeline
While the initial memorandum of understanding outlines the scale of the ambition, the physical deployment will involve significant logistical and technical execution. The companies are expected to work on finalizing the specific site, local partnerships, and a phased rollout schedule. The full build-out of 8 exaflops of AI compute is a multi-stage project likely extending over the coming years, contingent on supply chains and infrastructure readiness. Further technical specifications and the intended primary users of the system, whether for governmental, academic, or commercial purposes, are anticipated to be clarified as the project moves from announcement to implementation.
Source: Adapted from multiple industry reports
