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Abu Dhabi’s G42 Acquires $100 Million Share In ByteDance

The move comes as TikTok considers a separation from its parent company to address ongoing privacy concerns.

Published

4 years ago

March 16, 2023

abu dhabi's g42 acquires $100 million share in bytedance

Thanks to substantial government investment, Abu Dhabi is rapidly emerging as a MENA tech hub, and with that, high-profile investments are taking place on a frequent basis. Abu Dhabi-based AI firm G42 continued the trend by recently acquiring a $100 million-plus stake in ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok.

G42 is led by the UAE’s Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who acquired the stake from existing investors through the 42XFund.

Shortly after the move, another fund invested $225 billion to acquire ByteDance, a figure well off the company’s peak valuation of $460 billion back in 2021.

Also Read: Top 10 Best Video Games Set In The Middle East

It’s thought that G42’s investment was a nod to ByteDance’s long-term potential as the Chinese economy finally begins to rebound from endless pandemic restrictions. The growing enthusiasm for AI could also be part of renewed interest in ByteDance, as TikTok is acknowledged as pioneering algorithms a decade ago to get users hooked on videos and news.

Related Topics:Abu Dhabi ByteDance G42 TikTok

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For etisalat, More Bandwidth Is A Matter Of Digital Sovereignty

The etisalat group plans to expand its international capacity from 20 Tbps to more than 500 Tbps by 2030, with new routes designed for speed and resilience.

Published

2 days ago

October 6, 2026

Nour Nasir

for etisalat, more bandwidth is a matter of digital sovereignty

Emirates News Agency

By 2030, etisalat group plans to lift its international connectivity capacity to more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps), more than 25 times the 20 Tbps it has today. The group presented the expansion as preparation for rising AI demand and an important move for the UAE’s digital sovereignty.

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, witnessed the launch of the project, which covers the UAE and international markets. Sheikh Mansour is also Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, etisalat group’s main shareholder.

He emphasized the role of coordinated national efforts in advancing the UAE’s AI and digital economy ambitions. “AI is a central pillar in our development journey moving forward,” he said, adding that developing the country’s digital capabilities would empower every institution, public and private, to build and innovate with AI “at the scale the coming decade will demand”.

“This project reflects our conviction that the UAE should not simply adopt AI, but govern it and build with it,” said H.E Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Alzaabi, Chairman of etisalat group. “That requires digital infrastructure at a scale that would prepare us for the future”. He cast greater international connectivity as a strategic answer to the challenges of processing and moving data globally.

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Beyond raw bandwidth, the expansion will introduce new connectivity routes intended to improve reliability and efficiency, and Alzaabi tied them directly to the sovereignty goal. “Delivered through diversified routes and low-latency design, the project is set to keep the country’s connection to the global digital economy fast, direct and resilient, while ensuring the UAE’s digital sovereignty,” he said.

He also linked the plan to the group’s 50-year commitment to building infrastructure for the nation. The announcement didn’t mention what the expansion will cost. Nor did it name the new routes or say who will build them, the details that would show what digital sovereignty means in practice.