Tahnoun bin Zayed, the brother of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, is the National Security Advisor of the United Arab Emirates and one of the powerful officials in this Gulf emirate, active in various fields ranging from national security to finance, economics, and technology. Artificial intelligence is a particular priority in Sheikh Tahnoun’s agenda, as he seeks to position Abu Dhabi at the forefront of the global AI competition by leveraging his immense wealth and influence.
Sheikh Tahnoun manages over $1.5 trillion through two sovereign wealth funds of Abu Dhabi and his personal wealth. His latest ambition appears to be transforming the UAE into a hub for the development and utilization of artificial intelligence, a vision that has attracted the attention of American tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft, and BlackRock.
The combination of wealth, influence, and strategic bets has made Tahnoun a unique force in the field of artificial intelligence, although his success hinges on managing market risks, geopolitical tensions, and practical challenges in building a sustainable AI ecosystem.
Prior to Trump’s trip to the Middle East last week, Sheikh Tahnoun was a special guest of the President and his close associates at the White House last month. Foreign Policy reported that Tahnoun’s top priority during his visit to Washington was to advance the UAE’s massive AI project. The UAE embassy also referenced artificial intelligence multiple times in its report on this meeting. Tahnoun’s meetings in Washington included discussions with Elon Musk and Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle.
Mohammed Sulaiman, director of strategic technologies and cybersecurity programs at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, comments on the UAE’s investments, particularly Tahnoun bin Zayed’s activities: While the close economic relationship between Washington and Abu Dhabi dates back over a decade, artificial intelligence has significantly accelerated this relationship.
The Wall Street Journal writes that Sheikh Tahnoun’s strategy in the field of artificial intelligence is ambitious and comprehensive. He leads a new fund dedicated to AI called MGX, which is set to receive over $50 billion from Abu Dhabi’s resources, and he also controls Group 42 (G42), which has invested billions in AI.
They also have big names like Elon Musk’s X AI and Anthropic on their long-term investment list. Unlike other investors who focus on specific projects, Tahnoun uses his wealth to invest across the entire nascent sector to benefit from the growth of AI, viewing it as a guarantee for the UAE’s economic future in the post-oil era.
It should be noted that this extensive investment comes at a risky time. The AI market, with its astronomical valuations and expectations of losses before profitability, reminiscent of the dot-com bubble, has yet to stabilize and is in a frenzy; however, Tahnoun does not seem to intend to back down. He personally tracks AI advancements through a custom dashboard on his phone and computer and encourages his companies to rapidly adopt new technologies.
Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, praises Tahnoun’s investment and vision, considering his interest in AI a significant driver for global economic growth. The Wall Street Journal notes that Tahnoun’s initial interest in this technology stemmed from discussions about Geoffrey Ding’s book on the potential of AI.
The rise of Tahnoun’s financial power occurred after Mohammed’s presidency, when he was entrusted with overseeing Abu Dhabi’s wealth funds instead of the crown prince (Mohammed bin Zayed’s son). Mohammed bin Zayed provided him with over $1.5 trillion to “comfort” Sheikh Tahnoun, which was bolstered by his own business empire in real estate and banking. Western leaders such as Brad Smith from Microsoft, Sam Altman from OpenAI, and Larry Fink from BlackRock, who have met with him, have been attracted to his resources and strategic vision regarding AI infrastructure.
However, Tahnoun’s ambitions face geopolitical obstacles. As National Security Advisor, he oversees the UAE’s extensive espionage operations, raising concerns in the U.S. about G42’s past ties with China, including Huawei equipment and stakes in Chinese startups. In 2023, the Biden administration forced him to choose between partnering with the U.S. or China for G42’s access to advanced AI technology. Tahnoun chose the U.S., sidelined Huawei equipment, and demonstrated his goodwill with Microsoft’s $1.5 billion investment in G42. Nevertheless, anti-China hardliners in the U.S. remain concerned about the UAE’s overall relations with China, which could pose a barrier to future deals. Under the new Trump administration, Tahnoun’s MGX fund has concentrated 70 to 80 percent of its investments in the U.S. and supports Jared Kushner’s xAI and Affinity fund.
The UAE aims to host massive data centers and possibly even semiconductor factories, and is currently negotiating with TSMC and Samsung. To support this goal, Abu Dhabi is expanding its gas and nuclear energy capacity. Tahnoun is also looking to establish domestic artificial intelligence companies in the fields of health and energy, as well as attract foreign AI jobs to transform Abu Dhabi into a technological hub for the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. However, one of the biggest challenges he faces is that data centers create few jobs, and cities like London and Paris have a greater pool of engineering talent.
Tahnoun’s background reflects a strong personality with diverse interests and the necessary wealth. Growing up in the shadow of his brother, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the ruler of the UAE, he developed skills in martial arts, chess, and video games, even hiring specialists for his training. Tahnoun bin Zayed, who holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has globalized this sport and financed tournaments known as the Olympics of this discipline. His interest in artificial intelligence began in the early 2000s with the chess project Hydra, and peaked in 2017 when Google’s AlphaZero demonstrated the superior potential of AI, prompting him to launch G42 in 2018 with CEO Peng Xiao.
Sheikh Tahnoun manages over $1.5 trillion through two sovereign wealth funds of Abu Dhabi and his personal wealth. His latest ambition appears to be transforming the UAE into a hub for the development and utilization of artificial intelligence, a vision that has attracted the attention of American tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft, and BlackRock.
The combination of wealth, influence, and strategic bets has made Tahnoun a unique force in the field of artificial intelligence, although his success hinges on managing market risks, geopolitical tensions, and practical challenges in building a sustainable AI ecosystem.
Prior to Trump’s trip to the Middle East last week, Sheikh Tahnoun was a special guest of the President and his close associates at the White House last month. Foreign Policy reported that Tahnoun’s top priority during his visit to Washington was to advance the UAE’s massive AI project. The UAE embassy also referenced artificial intelligence multiple times in its report on this meeting. Tahnoun’s meetings in Washington included discussions with Elon Musk and Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle.
Mohammed Sulaiman, director of strategic technologies and cybersecurity programs at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, comments on the UAE’s investments, particularly Tahnoun bin Zayed’s activities: While the close economic relationship between Washington and Abu Dhabi dates back over a decade, artificial intelligence has significantly accelerated this relationship.
The Wall Street Journal writes that Sheikh Tahnoun’s strategy in the field of artificial intelligence is ambitious and comprehensive. He leads a new fund dedicated to AI called MGX, which is set to receive over $50 billion from Abu Dhabi’s resources, and he also controls Group 42 (G42), which has invested billions in AI.
They also have big names like Elon Musk’s X AI and Anthropic on their long-term investment list. Unlike other investors who focus on specific projects, Tahnoun uses his wealth to invest across the entire nascent sector to benefit from the growth of AI, viewing it as a guarantee for the UAE’s economic future in the post-oil era.
It should be noted that this extensive investment comes at a risky time. The AI market, with its astronomical valuations and expectations of losses before profitability, reminiscent of the dot-com bubble, has yet to stabilize and is in a frenzy; however, Tahnoun does not seem to intend to back down. He personally tracks AI advancements through a custom dashboard on his phone and computer and encourages his companies to rapidly adopt new technologies.
Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, praises Tahnoun’s investment and vision, considering his interest in AI a significant driver for global economic growth. The Wall Street Journal notes that Tahnoun’s initial interest in this technology stemmed from discussions about Geoffrey Ding’s book on the potential of AI.
The rise of Tahnoun’s financial power occurred after Mohammed’s presidency, when he was entrusted with overseeing Abu Dhabi’s wealth funds instead of the crown prince (Mohammed bin Zayed’s son). Mohammed bin Zayed provided him with over $1.5 trillion to “comfort” Sheikh Tahnoun, which was bolstered by his own business empire in real estate and banking. Western leaders such as Brad Smith from Microsoft, Sam Altman from OpenAI, and Larry Fink from BlackRock, who have met with him, have been attracted to his resources and strategic vision regarding AI infrastructure.
However, Tahnoun’s ambitions face geopolitical obstacles. As National Security Advisor, he oversees the UAE’s extensive espionage operations, raising concerns in the U.S. about G42’s past ties with China, including Huawei equipment and stakes in Chinese startups. In 2023, the Biden administration forced him to choose between partnering with the U.S. or China for G42’s access to advanced AI technology. Tahnoun chose the U.S., sidelined Huawei equipment, and demonstrated his goodwill with Microsoft’s $1.5 billion investment in G42. Nevertheless, anti-China hardliners in the U.S. remain concerned about the UAE’s overall relations with China, which could pose a barrier to future deals. Under the new Trump administration, Tahnoun’s MGX fund has concentrated 70 to 80 percent of its investments in the U.S. and supports Jared Kushner’s xAI and Affinity fund.
The UAE aims to host massive data centers and possibly even semiconductor factories, and is currently negotiating with TSMC and Samsung. To support this goal, Abu Dhabi is expanding its gas and nuclear energy capacity. Tahnoun is also looking to establish domestic artificial intelligence companies in the fields of health and energy, as well as attract foreign AI jobs to transform Abu Dhabi into a technological hub for the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. However, one of the biggest challenges he faces is that data centers create few jobs, and cities like London and Paris have a greater pool of engineering talent.
Tahnoun’s background reflects a strong personality with diverse interests and the necessary wealth. Growing up in the shadow of his brother, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the ruler of the UAE, he developed skills in martial arts, chess, and video games, even hiring specialists for his training. Tahnoun bin Zayed, who holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has globalized this sport and financed tournaments known as the Olympics of this discipline. His interest in artificial intelligence began in the early 2000s with the chess project Hydra, and peaked in 2017 when Google’s AlphaZero demonstrated the superior potential of AI, prompting him to launch G42 in 2018 with CEO Peng Xiao. 
Very interesting article!!!!!
Fascinating insight into the UAE’s silent AI strategist.
This guy’s a big deal.