How the UAE's Aleria is partnering with Nvidia to own its AI future

How the UAE's Aleria is partnering with Nvidia to own its AI future

Author: The National News May 6, 2026 Duration: 17:12
As global supply chains face sustained disruption, the UAE is pressing ahead with a plan to build sovereign AI infrastructure, technology and data that the country can control without relinquishing intellectual property to foreign providers. In this week's Business Extra, recorded at Making it in the Emirates in Abu Dhabi, host Salim A Essaid speaks to the executives behind a deal finalised in March, in which UAE-based sovereign AI company Aleria won a major agreement with Nvidia to use advanced AI infrastructure in the UAE, beginning with thousands of Blackwell Ultra chips. Eric Leandri, chief executive of Aleria, Marc Domenech, vice president of Enterprise at Nvidia for the Middle East, North Africa and South Europe, and Paul Bloch, co-founder of data intelligence platform DDN, explain why sovereign AI is critical for the most sensitive areas of a country's digital operations, from healthcare and financial systems to government data and defence, and why investment in the sector is increasing in defiance of the geopolitical climate.

Tune into Business Extra for a clear-eyed look at the forces shaping commerce in the Middle East and beyond. Produced by The National News, this podcast moves past the headlines to deliver substantive conversations with the analysts, executives, and innovators driving change. Each episode leans on the deep regional expertise of our editors and reporters, who translate complex developments in markets, energy, and technology into accessible insights. You’ll hear grounded discussions that connect local trends to global patterns, offering a necessary perspective on one of the planet's most dynamic economic landscapes. Whether it's a shift in oil policy, a tech startup's rise, or a new trade agreement, this series provides the context often missing from daily news cycles. For anyone with a stake in understanding how business really works in this pivotal region, Business Extra is an essential listen, blending authoritative journalism with genuine curiosity. The result is a consistently informative podcast that feels less like a briefing and more like a series of insightful conversations with people who have their finger on the pulse.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Business Extra
Podcast Episodes
Beyond oil: How the Iran war is already hitting wallets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:31
The economic fallout from the Iran war extends well beyond oil markets and is beginning to be felt in consumers' daily lives. With transport and production costs rising, food prices are beginning to climb globally and ai…
Inside Borouge: The UAE's petrochemical powerhouse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:56
In this special episode of Business Extra, host Khaled Abuljebain sits down with Yan Martin Nufer, chief financial officer of Abu Dhabi-based Borouge, to explore how one of the region’s industrial giants is driving long-…
How the Iran war is threatening water security in the Gulf [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:47
Water infrastructure, supply chains and agriculture are now increasingly exposed to geopolitical shocks. As the US-Israeli war on Iran led to attacks on infrastructure across the region, attention is shifting to the ener…
The Ramadan economy: How UAE consumers are spending in 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:13
Ramadan is a time of self-reflection, generosity, community and family, but it is also a period of intense consumer spending. Even as people fast from morning until dusk, spending rises across food and retail. In 2026, h…
Understanding Sovereign AI and why governments are racing to build it [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:52
A new phrase is quietly reshaping how governments, businesses and even militaries think about the future of power: Sovereign AI. The term is appearing in policy papers, billion-dollar infrastructure deals, and national s…
Inside the UAE job market: What you need to know about hiring in 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:57
In this live Q&A session, Business Extra host Salim Essaid explores what the UAE Salary Guide 2026 reveals about the job market. He is joined by Viacheslav Shakhov, managing partner at Cooper Fitch, to discuss hiring tre…
How Adnoc Distribution is scaling profits and sustainability [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:54
This episode was produced in partnership with Adnoc Group In this special episode of Business Extra, host Khaled Abuljebain speaks to Ali Siddiqi, chief financial officer of Adnoc Distribution. Mr Siddiqi shares how the…