Core42, a G42 company specializing in AI infrastructure and sovereign-enabled cloud, today signed a strategic collaboration agreement with the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), to expand locally developed digital sovereignty and cybersecurity capabilities in the UAE. Signed at GISEC Global 2026, the agreement reflects a shared commitment to developing home-grown security capabilities and contributing to the UAE’s sovereign technology ecosystem.

Strategic collaboration to develop and evaluate UAE-built sovereignty and security technologies for Core42’s sovereign-enabled cloud and Compass AI platforms.

The collaboration brings together Core42’s sovereign-enabled cloud and AI capabilities with TII’s cybersecurity research and technology development expertise to explore how UAE-developed security technologies can strengthen the protection, resilience and compliance of sovereign digital infrastructure and AI environments. As part of the agreement, Core42 and TII will collaborate on the co-development, evaluation, and deployment of security-enhancing technologies across Core42’s sovereign-enabled cloud and Compass, its generative and agentic AI platform. The scope includes hardware security modules, confidential computing, encrypted AI inferencing, secure key management and distribution, data protection mechanisms, encryption technologies and trusted computing capabilities.

The framework reflects a broader focus on developing critical technology capabilities within the UAE and creating pathways for home-grown innovation to address real-world cloud and AI sovereignty and security requirements. As organizations increasingly deploy sensitive data and AI workloads across cloud environments, protecting data, infrastructure, models and communications using cryptographic solutions is becoming an increasingly important component of sovereign technology architecture. The initiative also reinforces the UAE’s growing role as a center for advanced technology development, and Core42’s contribution to an ecosystem where sovereign infrastructure can increasingly be secured through technologies developed within the country.

Rajeev Nair, Senior Vice President, Special Projects, Core42, said: “Sovereignty means more than deciding where data and infrastructure reside; it is also about building the technology capabilities required to protect them from all angles. Working with TII gives us an opportunity to evaluate and advance UAE-developed sovereignty and cybersecurity technologies against the requirements of sovereign-enabled cloud and AI environments. By connecting local research and technology development with real-world platforms and use cases, we are helping build an ecosystem where the UAE is not simply adopting advanced technologies, but increasingly developing the capabilities that underpin them. This helps strengthen the country’s position as a global hub for trusted technology development.”

Dr. Victor Juan Mateu, Chief Researcher, Cryptography Research Center TII, said: “At TII, we are focused on translating advanced research into technologies that strengthen the UAE’s sovereign capabilities and address real-world security challenges. Our collaboration with Core42 creates an important pathway to evaluate and advance locally developed cybersecurity and trusted computing technologies within sovereign cloud and AI environments. By bringing together deep research expertise and real-world platforms, we can accelerate the journey from breakthrough innovation to practical deployment and contribute to a more secure and resilient technology ecosystem in the UAE.”

A Record-Breaking Moment for Robotics

When HONOR’s Lightning humanoid robot captured global attention with a series of record-breaking performances, the headlines understandably focused on speed. HONOR Robotics D1 broke five human world records, completing a half marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, 1,500 meters in 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and 100 meters in just 9.32 seconds, while reaching a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second.

The performances demonstrated a level of athletic capability previously considered out of reach for humanoid machines, sparking widespread discussion about just how quickly robotics technology is advancing.

Yet the real story extends far beyond the stopwatch.

The Rise of Embodied AI

While achievements on the track demonstrate remarkable engineering progress, they also point to a broader shift taking place across the technology industry. Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to analysing information on a screen. It is increasingly being designed to understand, interpret and respond to the physical world around it. From navigating complex environments to making decisions in real time, the next era of AI will be defined not only by what it knows, but by how effectively it can interact with the world.

This evolution is often referred to as embodied AI, where intelligence is paired with movement, perception and action. In a race, a humanoid robot must do far more than run quickly. It must continuously process information from its surroundings, maintain balance, adapt to changing conditions and make split-second adjustments throughout its movement. Such capabilities demonstrate how AI is moving beyond digital commands towards real-world understanding.

Why Robotics Matters Beyond the Race Track

The significance of this trend extends well beyond robotics itself. As AI systems become increasingly capable of understanding context and responding intelligently, the lessons learned from these advancements have the potential to influence a wide range of everyday technologies.

For consumers, this shift is particularly relevant. People increasingly expect their devices to be proactive, intuitive and personalised. Technology is no longer judged solely by processing power or specifications. Instead, users value experiences that feel intelligent, seamless and capable of adapting to their needs.

Achieving this vision requires AI systems that can process information quickly, understand intent and respond meaningfully in real time.

The Future of Intelligent Devices

The same principles driving the next generation of robotics are also shaping the evolution of personal technology. Advances in perception, contextual understanding and intelligent decision-making are helping create devices that feel more aware of both users and their surroundings.

As AI capabilities continue to mature, devices will become increasingly capable of anticipating needs, simplifying tasks and offering more personalised experiences. The result is a more natural relationship between people and technology, where interactions feel less like commands and more like collaboration.

Rather than simply responding to requests, future intelligent devices will be expected to understand context, recognise patterns and support users in increasingly proactive ways.

Where Robotics and Consumer Technology Converge

This is where the convergence of robotics and consumer technology becomes particularly exciting.

For many years, robotics and personal devices have been treated as distinct categories. Today, however, both industries are being shaped by the same fundamental goal: creating technology that can better understand and interact with the world around it.

The pursuit of faster processing, enhanced perception and smarter decision-making continues to drive innovation across the entire AI ecosystem. As advancements in one area accelerate, they often inspire new possibilities in another.

From intelligent assistants and advanced imaging capabilities to increasingly personalised user experiences, the impact of AI innovation is already being felt across everyday technology.

Building an AI-Powered Future

Looking ahead, the future of technology will not be defined by a single breakthrough device. Instead, it will be shaped by connected ecosystems of intelligent technologies working together seamlessly.

As AI becomes more capable, users can expect more natural interactions, greater personalisation and experiences that adapt more effectively to individual needs. The focus will move beyond standalone features towards intelligent ecosystems that support people throughout their daily lives.

The recent achievements in robotics offer a glimpse into that future. While record-breaking performances may capture attention, they also demonstrate the pace at which intelligent systems are evolving and how rapidly the boundaries of what technology can achieve continue to expand.

Beyond the Finish Line

Ultimately, the significance of innovation is not measured solely by how fast a robot can run. It is measured by how those advancements help create smarter, more intuitive experiences that improve the way people interact with technology every day.

As AI continues to evolve, robotics will serve as an important testbed for what comes next. The finish line, it turns out, may be just the beginning.

Paramount Assure, a UAE-headquartered cybersecurity company, today announced a partnership with SecurityBridge, a specialist in SAP cybersecurity, to help organisations across the GCC strengthen protection of their SAP environments and bring SAP security intelligence into their wider cyber defence operations. The partnership was signed at GISEC 2026 in Hall 3 at SecurityBridge’s stand by Neeti Rodrigues, Chief of International Sales at Paramount Assure, and Christoph Nagy, Co-founder of SecurityBridge.

The collaboration comes as enterprises face growing pressure to protect the systems behind their most critical operations. IBM’s 2026 Report found that the average cost of a data breach for organisations in the Middle East reached $8 million, with excessive privileges, poor role management and difficulty prioritising threats among the leading factors increasing breach costs. For many organisations, SAP remains one of the most business-critical systems in their technology environment, but it is not always visible enough within day-to-day cybersecurity operations.

Many enterprises already have security teams, monitoring platforms and access controls in place, but these tools do not always show whether critical SAP patches are missing, custom code introduces risk, configurations are secure, or suspicious activity is part of a wider attack. This creates a gap between SAP teams and cybersecurity teams at a time when attackers are moving faster, and business systems are more connected.

Through the partnership, SecurityBridge will provide real-time visibility and contextual SAP security intelligence, while Paramount will bring its cybersecurity expertise, SOC capabilities, regional implementation experience and local customer support. Together, the companies will help customers identify SAP vulnerabilities, monitor risk, investigate suspicious activity and connect SAP security insights with their wider cybersecurity programme.

Premchand Kurup, CEO of Paramount Assure, said: “The Gulf cybersecurity industry has grown over 27 years into a US$20 billion market built around enterprise systems such as SAP, Oracle and Microsoft ERPs. Yet ERP telemetry still does not reach the SOC with the same consistency as other security data. This leaves teams vulnerable to risks inside systems that carry financial transactions, supply chains and government services. With UAE IA Standard v2.1 and Saudi NCA ECC placing greater focus on monitoring, patching and access governance, the next frontier is clear: real-time ERP telemetry in the SOC. Our partnership with SecurityBridge brings that visibility to SAP environments, giving CISOs across the GCC stronger control over the systems they are responsible for protecting.”

For customers, the combined offering makes SAP security more operational and easier to act on. Security teams can identify missing patches, risky custom code, weak configurations, unusual user behaviour, and misuse of privileged access within SAP environments. These insights can then support faster investigation, better coordination between SAP and cybersecurity teams, and more informed decisions on how to contain risk before it affects wider business operations.

Christoph Nagy, Co-founder, SecurityBridge, said: “The Middle East is a strategic growth market for SecurityBridge, as organisations increasingly recognise that SAP can no longer remain a blind spot in their cybersecurity operations. SecurityBridge closes this gap by bringing real-time, contextualised SAP security intelligence into the enterprise SOC. Expanding our regional footprint requires strong local expertise, trusted customer relationships and deep cybersecurity knowledge. Paramount brings exactly that. Together, we can help organisations across the GCC make SAP an integral part of their security operations and continuously protect their most critical business systems.”

Organisations across the GCC can engage Paramount to assess their SAP security posture, understand visibility gaps and explore how SecurityBridge can integrate into their existing cybersecurity operations. The companies will support customers through consultation, implementation and ongoing security operations support, helping them build stronger protection around SAP without treating it as a separate or isolated security function.

Paramount and SecurityBridge will continue working together to expand customer access across the region and support new SAP cybersecurity use cases as enterprises modernise their technology environments. The collaboration reinforces Paramount’s focus on helping regional organisations protect the systems that carry their most critical business processes, data and decisions.