Abu Dhabi-based Group 42 (G42), a leading artificial intelligence and cloud computing company, has announced that it is establishing a wholly-owned subsidiary in Israel.

The new international office will allow access to technologies and talents available in the country, while also serving as a gateway for Israeli companies seeking to expand their operations in the UAE and the Middle East.

Israel is today home to more than 6,000 high-tech companies and startups and has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world (besides Silicon Valley).

It leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the US, over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany.

The Abu Dhabi group said this was the first time a UAE company is establishing an international office in Israel, a testimony to the intensification of collaboration between the two countries in the wake of the recent diplomatic agreements.

Operations in the new office will be led by a team of experts from both countries with a focus on healthcare and Covid-19 diagnostic solutions, advanced AI research, agritech and water supply solutions, smart cities and renewable energies.

Peng Xiao, CEO of Group 42, said: “The establishment of the new Israeli office will strengthen G42’s presence in the region and give us access to one of the most vibrant and mature tech ecosystems in the world.”

In the past few weeks, G42 announced a series of deals with Israeli companies: on 2nd July, the company signed two MoUs with Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries to explore the sharing of knowledge, personnel, technology and resources to conceptualise, develop and optimise breakthrough solutions to combat Covid-19.