Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi (SUAD), which plays a vital role in its contribution to AI education, research, and innovation in the UAE, will now bring its academic and research expertise together with Saal.ai’s capabilities in enterprise AI platforms, sovereign AI infrastructure, and Agentic AI technologies. This move is aimed to help accelerate the development of localised AI capabilities.

Saal.ai, a made-in-UAE AI and big data product company, and SUAD signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), focussing on research, innovation, and knowledge transfer in artificial intelligence (AI), sovereign AI, and Agentic AI.

The MoU was signed by Guillaume Housse, Head of Public Affairs and Sponsorship, Communications, Marketing, and Public Affairs, on behalf of Prof Nathalie Martial-Braz, Chancellor of Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, and Vikraman Poduval, CEO of Saal.ai.

Poduval said, “This collaboration represents the next level of accelerating true sovereign AI capabilities in the UAE with self-reliance and full autonomy. By bringing together academic excellence and AI innovation, we are not only accelerating Agentic AI development but also ensuring that Emirati talent is at the centre of this transformation.”

Through the Sorbonne Centre for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI) and specialised academic programmes, SUAD will continue to fortify its impact on AI education and research in the UAE.

Dr. Xavier Fresquet, Head of SCAI, SUAD, said, “Partnerships between academia and industry are becoming essential as AI technologies, including sovereign and agentic AI systems, rapidly expand across nearly all sectors of industry and society. At SCAI, we want our students not only to understand these technologies, but also to actively use them and engage with the AI-driven environments transforming professional practices worldwide.”

He added that this collaboration reflected a shared commitment to advancing AI research, talent development, and innovation ecosystems aligned with the UAE’s strategic vision. – editor@nrifocus.com