Under the terms of the agreement, Core42 will have access to up to 10,000 GPUs from Northern Data’s Taiga Cloud
In sum – what to know:
10,000 GPUs to boost sovereign AI – Core42 gains access to Northern Data’s Taiga Cloud resources for rapid deployment of AI computing capacity in Europe.
Partnership builds on existing projects – Core42’s deployments in the UAE, France, and Italy create a foundation for faster European AI expansion.
Northern Data has signed a strategic agreement with Core42, the cloud arm of UAE-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology holding company G42, with the aim of expanding AI computing capacity in Europe.
Under the terms of the agreement, Core42 will have access to up to 10,000 GPUs from Northern Data’s Taiga Cloud, enabling faster deployment of high-performance compute resources. The new initiatives will support increasing customer demand and broaden availability of sovereign AI infrastructure in Europe.
Northern Data, which once focused on crypto-mining customers, now operates data centers in the U.S., Sweden, Norway, and Portugal. Its Taiga Cloud unit, which offers generative AI services, expects revenues to grow by as much as 74% in 2025, according to previous reports.
The UAE-based data center company has been actively expanding its global presence. In June, the firm opened a London office and has made AI investment commitments across Asia, Africa, and the U.S. The UAE-backed firm has also aligned with global partners to drive AI infrastructure investments.
Recent European initiatives include a joint effort with Nvidia, Mubadala, and MGX to build what could become Europe’s largest AI data center campus. G42 is also backing multibillion-euro plans for data center growth in France and Italy.
Aroosh Thillainathan, Northern Data Group founder and CEO, said: “Core42 and Northern Data are joining forces to shape the future of AI. Together, we will pioneer next-generation infrastructure, go-to-market strategies, and groundbreaking AI products. Our partnership is driven by a shared mission: to build sovereign, high-performance AI infrastructure that meets the world’s surging demand for compute power and unlocks transformative possibilities for humanity.”
Edmondo Orlotti, Core42 chief growth officer, added: “Our partnership with Northern Data strengthens Core42’s ability to deliver sovereign AI infrastructure at scale. By integrating Taiga Cloud’s powerful GPU capacity with our global deployment experience, we can respond faster to rising demand and accelerate AI adoption across industries.”
The announcement also ties into the EU’s InvestAI program, which aims to develop AI gigafactory infrastructure across Europe.
Earlier this year, U.S. software giant Microsoft had announced an investment of $1.5 billion in G42.
The investment will strengthen the two companies’ collaboration on bringing the latest Microsoft AI technologies and skilling initiatives to the UAE and other countries around the world.
Under this expanded collaboration, the Arab data center firm will run its AI applications and services on Microsoft Azure and partner to deliver advanced AI solutions to global public sector clients and large enterprises. The pair will also work together to bring advanced AI and digital infrastructure to countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.
Microsoft also said that the partnership with the Arab company will support the development of a skilled and diverse AI workforce and talent pool that will drive innovation and competitiveness for the UAE and broader region.
Microsoft explained that the commercial partnership is backed by assurances to both governments through what the company said is a first of its kind agreement to apply world-class best practices to ensure the secure, trusted and responsible development and deployment of AI. Both companies will move forward with a commitment to comply with U.S. and international trade, security, responsible AI and business integrity laws and regulations.
