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Tuesday, January 20, 2026 | Daily Newspaper published by GPPC Doha, Qatar.

Tag Results for "AI investment" (81 articles)

Misamis Occidental Governor Henry S Oaminal.
Business

Philippines’ Misamis Occidental eyes Qatar ties via business missions

The governor of Misamis Occidental province in the Philippines has underscored the importance of reciprocal business missions between Qatar and Northern Mindanao, describing delegation exchanges as a key pathway to explore investment opportunities in various sectors.Governor Henry S Oaminal emphasised to Gulf Times that tourism, agriculture, transportation, and food security are among the investment areas that could be explored either through business-to-business (B2B) or government-to-government (G2G) strategies.According to Oaminal, tourism promotion is being positioned alongside trade and agriculture to strengthen ties with Doha. “It can go hand in hand; the trade relationship can be posted to enhance one’s economy, particularly in Mindanao, specifically in my home province, Misamis Occidental,” the governor explained.He further said, “We are a developing province, having the potential for trade investment and agriculture. Then there is tourism, which is being highlighted by the government. We are currently developing our mountains and coastal areas, so we can organise an inbound mission from Qatar to Mindanao, and eventually, vice versa from our region to promote trade and tourism relations.”Oaminal highlighted Misamis Occidental’s natural attractions as part of the pitch to Qatari investors. He also confirmed that investment opportunities are being opened for Qatar in multiple sectors, including transportation, food security, and dairy farms.The governor said discussions with Qatari travel operators were held during the recently concluded Qatar Travel Mart (QTM) 2025, with plans to invite them to Mindanao for a travel operators convention.“Conversely, we will also be organising an outbound mission comprising a delegation from Misamis Occidental to explore Qatar and the many possibilities where we can establish good business relationships, not only in trade but in all aspects,” Oaminal explained.Asked for a timeline for these plans, Oaminal projected that the Provincial Government of Misamis Occidental would send an outbound mission to Doha “by the first quarter of 2026.”Aside from visiting QTM 2025, Oaminal was in Qatar as part of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) business delegation, which held high-level meetings with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), tourism officials, and Qatar Chamber, among others.The PCCI delegation was led by its president, Enunina V Mangio, discussed co-operation relations and networking with Qatar Chamber. The Philippine delegation comprised 40 people representing about 30 companies across sectors such as labour, real estate, monorails, construction, and water technology, Mangio told this paper on the sidelines of QTM 2025. 

Gulf Times
Qatar

Qatar takes part in high-level meeting of Arab-German Chamber of Commerce

The State of Qatar participated in a high-level economic meeting organised by the Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Frankfurt. The meeting aimed to explore avenues of co-operation between the two sides, with a focus on highlighting German and European investment opportunities in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries. Qatar was represented at the meeting by ambassador of the State of Qatar to Germany Abdullah Ibrahim al-Hamar. The meeting was also attended by former British prime minister David Cameron and Honorary President of the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry Thomas Bach, along with more than 80 senior political, business and economic leaders and decision-makers from the Gulf and Europe. Participants outlined their visions for enhancing co-operation between the GCC countries and Europe in light of current global geopolitical and economic developments. The meeting also reviewed Gulf investment experiences in Germany and explored future co-operation opportunities in the fields of energy, infrastructure and advanced technologies. The high-level meeting reflects the growing momentum in relations between the GCC countries and the European Union, particularly following the adoption of the Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two sides in 2022. The agreement established a new framework for co-operation in the areas of economy, energy, environmental transition and regional stability. The first joint summit between the leaders of the European Union and the GCC countries was held in Brussels in 2024, during which it was agreed to convene a summit every two years. 

The Saudi oil giant is expected to kick-off a formal sale process as early as next year and is likely to see interest from large infrastructure funds
Business

Aramco is said to pick Citi for oil storage terminals stake sale

Saudi Aramco has chosen Citigroup Inc to help arrange a potential multibillion-dollar stake sale in its oil export and storage terminals business, according to people familiar with the matter.The US investment bank was selected in recent days after a pitching process that drew proposals from several other Wall Street lenders, the people said, asking not to be identified as the matter is private.The mandate is a win for Citigroup, whose Chief Executive Officer Jane Fraser has made a renewed effort to win business from large corporates and sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East. Aramco had tapped JPMorgan Chase & Co as a sell-side adviser when it previously sold stakes in its oil and gas pipeline infrastructure in separate transactions.The Saudi oil giant is expected to kick-off a formal sale process as early as next year and is likely to see interest from large infrastructure funds, the people said. Discussions are at an early stage and no final decisions have been made on the timing or structure of the transaction, they said.Representatives for Citigroup and Aramco declined to comment.Aramco is considering options including selling an equity stake in the business, Bloomberg News reported this week. It aims to raise billions of dollars from such a sale, people familiar with the matter said at the time.The plans are part of a broader attempt by the firm to sell a range of assets, including potentially part of its real estate portfolio.Oil prices have dropped about 16% this year and while the impact of that drop on Aramco’s earnings has been tempered by higher output, the firm has delayed some projects and looked to sell assets to free up cash for investments.The deals now being considered would mark a step up from previous transactions that were focused on stakes in pipeline infrastructure.Aramco’s main oil storage and export infrastructure is located at Ras Tanura on the Arabian Gulf and the company has similar terminals on the Red Sea. Internationally, the firm owns stakes in product terminals in the Netherlands and leases crude as well as product storage at main trade hubs in Egypt and at Okinawa in Japan.Earlier this year, a BlackRock Inc-led group signed an $11bn lease deal for facilities that serve Aramco’s Jafurah gas project in the kingdom. 

Harold Haddad, managing director and senior partner, BCG.
Business

Qatar cements its competitive position in global AI and technology space: BCG

Doha is steadily cementing its position as a competitive player in the global AI and technology race, supported by strategic investments from the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), according to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).These include the establishment of a $3bn global platform with Blue Owl Capital to accelerate international AI and cloud infrastructure expansion, as well as QIA’s participation in Anthropic’s $13bn funding round, BCG said in its report presented at the Mobile World Congress, which concluded Wednesday.These initiatives underscore Qatar’s commitment to advancing its digital capabilities and align closely with the ambitions of the Qatar Digital Vision 2030, it said in the report “AI Data Centers: An Opportunity in the Middle East”.“Qatar’s digital ambition is rapidly taking shape, driven by decisive leadership and a deep commitment to innovation. In line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and Qatar’s Third National Development Strategy, the country is harnessing AI and emerging technologies to cement its role as a competitive force in the global digital economy," said Harold Haddad, managing director and senior partner.The report revealed that the Middle East is rapidly positioning the region as a rising global nexus for AI data centre investment and innovation. As global demand for AI infrastructure accelerates, with data centre power needs projected to grow from 86GW (Gigawatt) in 2025 to 198GW by 2030, BCG finds that the Middle East has a uniquely competitive advantage in supplying scalable, cost-efficient AI compute capacity.Highlighting that the Middle East is not merely participating in the global AI infrastructure race; it is fast emerging as a critical new hub of AI data centre development; it said the region benefits from distinctive structural advantages.Its strategic geography places it within a 2,000-mile radius of over 3bn people, enabling it to serve Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Global South with non-latency-sensitive AI inferencing at scale.Competitive cost structures, including up to 50% lower leasing rates, low power tariffs, and advanced cooling systems adopted by regional operators, significantly reduce the total cost of ownership, BCG said, adding meanwhile, markets such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia continue to accelerate time-to-market for new data centres through fast-track development, dedicated investment teams, and special economic zone clusters such as Masdar City’s Stargate Campus."This momentum is reinforced by the region’s expansive land availability, scalable power ecosystems, and the planned ~720Tbps Fibre in the Gulf (FIG) submarine cable project," it said.Thibault Werlé, managing director and partner at BCG said the Middle East is undergoing a pivotal transformation as it positions itself to become a global hub for AI infrastructure."With strategic investments, progressive digital policies, and ambitious national visions across Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, the region is building the foundation for scalable, next-generation AI compute," he added.The report outlines major national initiatives shaping the Middle East’s AI infrastructure landscape. Saudi Arabia has launched HUMAIN with a targeted 1.9GW AI data centre capacity, along with partnerships with NVIDIA, AMD, AWS, DataVolt, and Groq to develop multi-hundred-megawatt AI campuses, including the world’s largest AI compute centre.The UAE is advancing a 5GW AI campus in Abu Dhabi under the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership and is importing 500,000 GPUs for regional and US partners, supported by Microsoft’s $15.2bn AI and cloud infrastructure investment."Qatar’s strategic investments complement these national efforts and reinforce a GCC-wide push toward establishing a global AI compute corridor," the report said.With its strategic geography, favourable economics, and ambitious national digital agendas, the Middle East is uniquely poised to emerge as a global AI data centre powerhouse — particularly for regions requiring scalable and cost-efficient AI compute such as the Global South. 

Misamis Occidental Provincial Governor Henry S Oaminal, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Enunina V Mangio, and DoT Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar.
Business

Philippines participates in QTM 2025; eyes deeper investment ties with Qatar

Key officials from the Philippines’ public and private sectors expressed collective optimism about robust investment collaboration with Qatar in tourism, agriculture, transportation, and trade.Speaking to Gulf Times on the sidelines of the Qatar Travel Mart (QTM) 2025, Department of Tourism (DoT) Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar underscored the country’s unified presence in the event’s fourth edition, which will run until November 24 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC).“Our participation in the event reflects the Department of Tourism’s keenness to not only promote the Philippines as a tourism destination but also to include halal tourism and Muslim-friendly tourism as our offering to the people of Qatar,” Valderrosa-Abubakar pointed out.**media[385855]**She added that the DoT’s participation, in partnership with the Embassy of the Philippines in the State of Qatar, was part of a broader effort to highlight the country’s readiness to welcome Muslim travellers and showcase its diverse tourism portfolio.From the provincial front, Misamis Occidental Governor Henry S Oaminal emphasised the natural attractions of Northern Mindanao as a key draw for international visitors. He said: “We have development initiatives on both our mountain and coastal areas; we have a beach resort that is multi-inspired because it has an ocean villa presentation and dolphin islands nearby.”He explained that tourism promotion was being positioned alongside trade and agriculture to strengthen ties with Qatar, noting that inbound missions from Doha to Mindanao could be complemented by outbound delegations from the province of Misamis Occidental.Meanwhile, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) President Enunina V Mangio highlighted the chamber’s direct engagement with Qatari counterparts.**media[385856]**“That’s why we’re bringing a group of individuals who are all engaged in different sectors, and we will try to match them with their counterparts in Qatar,” Mangio explained, adding that the PCCI is keen on sharing best practices, technology transfer, partnerships, and investment exchange.Today (November 25), the PCCI is meeting officials of Qatar Chamber to discuss co-operation relations and networking. The Philippine delegation comprises 40 people representing about 30 companies across sectors such as labour, real estate, monorails, construction, and water technology, Mangio noted.Aside from Qatar Chamber, Mangio said the PCCI delegation is expected to hold meetings with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Qatar Investment Authority, and tourism authorities.Mangio emphasised that the Philippines is ready to deepen its partnership with Qatar, leveraging tourism as a gateway to trade and investment, while ensuring that the PCCI will highlight the key role that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and regional provinces play in strengthening Qatar-Philippines investment ties.

The collaboration, formalised during the Poland-Qatar Investment Forum hosted by the Embassy of Poland in Doha, reflects a shared commitment to promoting mutual interests and unlocking new opportunities for businesses in both countries.
Business

Invest Qatar signs MoU with Polish Investment and Trade Agency to deepen economic co-operation

Invest Qatar, the Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar, and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) Monday entered into a strategic partnership aimed at deepening economic and investment co-operation between Qatar and Poland.This collaboration, formalised during the Poland-Qatar Investment Forum hosted by the Embassy of Poland in Doha, reflects a shared commitment to promoting mutual interests and unlocking new opportunities for businesses in both countries.The strategic partnership establishes the framework for exchanging information and data between both parties to support and strengthen investment flows between Qatar and Poland.Under the agreement, Invest Qatar will provide Polish companies with comprehensive support, including insights into Qatar’s business and regulatory landscape, guidance on investment opportunities, assistance with business setup and introductions to key stakeholders. The agency will also offer aftercare services to Polish firms already operating in Qatar, ensuring a seamless experience for new and existing investors.PAIH will support Invest Qatar in promoting business opportunities in Qatar to Polish companies, as well as refer interested investors looking to enter the market. Additionally, PAIH and Invest Qatar will collaborate to participate in joint events, workshops and conferences aimed at strengthening business exchange and bilateral investment between Qatar and Poland."This partnership with PAIH marks a new chapter in the long-standing relationship between Qatar and Poland that has been built on mutual respect, shared values and a commitment to progress. Through this collaboration, we aim to open new avenues for economic growth, support Polish companies to explore the wealth of opportunities available in Qatar and foster meaningful partnerships that drive innovation and long-term growth,” said Sheikh Ali Alwaleed al-Thani, chief executive officer, Invest Qatar.Łukasz Gwiazdowski, deputy chairman of PAIH, said it is pleased to join forces with Invest Qatar to support Polish companies in expanding their global footprint."This collaboration will not only facilitate access to new markets but also foster significant connections between our business communities. We look forward to working together to drive investment and create lasting value for both economies,” he added.This collaboration aligns with Invest Qatar’s commitment to position Qatar as a reliable long-term strategic partner to nations and businesses around the world while supporting its national economic diversification objectives. It also reaffirms the close and historic ties between Qatar and Poland, with diplomatic relations being established over 35 years ago.This is exemplified by the significant trade and commercial ties between the two countries, with trade reaching approximately QR4.2bn in 2024, and the presence of over 35 Polish companies operating across a variety of sectors in Qatar, including professional services, logistics and technology.

Polish Ambassador to Qatar Tomasz Sadziński.
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Qatar rapidly expands into high growth areas to become most investment attractive in the region, says Sheikh Ali

Doha, whose energy sector remains a global benchmark, is rapidly expanding into high growth areas, making it the most attractive investment destinations in the region, according to the top official of Invest Qatar."While our energy sector remains a global benchmark, we are rapidly expanding into high growth areas such as technology and digital services, healthcare and life sciences, logistics and supply chain innovation, financial services and fintech," Invest Qatar chief executive officer Sheikh Ali Alwaleed al-Thani told Poland Qatar Investment Forum, organised by Polish Embassy and Polish Investment and Trade Agency, in partnership with LuLu and Comarch.To support the development of these sectors, Invest Qatar recently announced a $1bn incentive programme to make Qatar one of the most attractive destinations for strategic investments in the region. It is designed to support new investment, digitise existing operations and create high-skilled jobs, fostering robust growth in the R&D (research and development) ecosystem.Highlighting that Qatar today is home to around 35 Polish companies, which play a vital role in supporting the country's economic diversification and development; he said "the opportunities for Polish businesses in Qatar are not only growing, but they are also evolving in exciting and impactful ways."Polish companies operate across a wide variety of sectors in Qatar, including professional services, logistics and technology, reaffirming the breadth of opportunities available in Qatar, he said at the forum, which also witnessed signing of memorandum of understanding between Invest Qatar and Polish Trade and Investment Agency as well as between Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) and Employers of Qatar."At Invest Qatar, we are committed to supporting Polish businesses at every step of the investment journey, whether you are exploring the market or seeking partnerships or expanding existing operations," Sheikh Ali said.Polish ambassador to Qatar Tomasz Sadziński said more than 30 Polish businesses are represented at the forum from sectors such as energy, IT, automation, infrastructure, food, fashion, consulting, and legal.Highlighting that investing in Poland is even more important today, Łukasz Gwiazdowski, deputy chairman of Polish Investment and Trade Agency, said investing in Poland means investing in a secure, confident, strong European economy, the fastest growing European economy, the sixth European economy and the 20th worldwide economy."Today, investing in Poland is a huge investment for the future. Today is the right moment to invest in Poland, thinking about the European market, thinking about the gateway of the East," according to him.Sheikh Mansoor bin Jassim al-Thani, member, QBA, said over the last five years, the trade exchange between Qatar and Poland has witnessed notable growth of 23%, reaching approximately QR4.8bn in 2023 against QR3.9bn in 2018.**media[385552]**Finding "excellent opportunity" for Qatari and Polish companies to explore collaboration in key sectors such as energy, infrastructure, logistics, trade, transport, technology, healthcare, agriculture and advanced manufacturing; he said through joint ventures, knowledge exchange and strategic partnership, the companies can leverage each other's strength to create long-term value, drive innovation and expand into new regional and global markets."Together, we can build partnerships that go beyond traditional trade to include technology, transport, capacity building and sustainable investment models that benefit all nations and elevate our economy, co-operation to new levels," he said.Joanna Makowiecka-Gatza, president, Employers of Poland, said the agreement signed with QBA signifies an active way for Qatar to support Polish businesses and, conversely, to support Qatari partners and the Polish market."Our bilateral relations have enormous potential for further development. We want to be present in Qatar, not mainly to get to know each other, but actually to create trust," she said.

Gulf Times
Business

Amir's visit underscores strong ties, marks key step in boosting ties, says Rwandan minister of trade and industry

The Minister of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Rwanda Prudence Sebahizi affirmed that the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to the Rwandan capital Kigali reflects the depth of relations between the two countries and represents an important milestone in enhancing co-operation across various fields, especially economic and investment sectors.Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Sebahizi stated that bilateral relations have grown so fast and "built on mutual trust and co-operation, in Rwanda and Qatar, we have been trading to each other, but we also have other development co-operation, especially on the side of investment. Currently, Qatar Airways is investing in RWANDAIR, and jointly they are investing in the new airport in Rwanda, which is a good opportunity for Rwanda to position itself as a logistic hub, given our geographic location and also our relations with the rest of African countries". He added: "Our trade has grown more than 30%, which is a good indication that we have a lot of potential to trade to each other.Rwanda has been exporting coffee to Qatar. But at the same time we do import petroleum products and fertilisers and we think there is much more aspects of cooperation, especially in logistics and also innovation and ICT". The Minister pointed out: "Recently, we have signed a number of MoUs covering different areas of collaboration like ICT, education, agriculture, innovation, and so many others.This gives us assurance that there will be growing investment, even if today we don't have the size of investment on record, the most expected investment is the current project of expanding Kigali International Airport, and also investment in RWANDAIR". Sebahizi explained that Rwanda is a promising investment and tourism destination due to its stability and business-friendly environment, having ranked highly in World Bank reports on ease of doing business, making it one of the leading regional destinations for investment in tourism, hospitality, and technology sectors. In terms of ICT, he said, " Rwanda has been leading in ICT over the last 25 years in the region and the continent.We are among the best countries in the world in terms of policy framework to promote ICT. Again, I see Rwanda as a hub for investing in ICT". He added that Rwanda's membership in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) enhances its position as a key economic and trade centre connecting regional and international markets, stressing that co-operation with the State of Qatar could contribute to expanding economic development prospects at both bilateral and regional levels.Regarding his vision for strengthening co-operation between the two countries, Sebahizi said: " We also see it as a very good opportunity in terms of cooperation, because there is a lot we can learn from each other, the two countries that have the same vision, that have visionary leaders.There is a lot we can learn from that high-level leadership and also that friendship the two countries are enjoying". Concluding his remarks, Sebahizi addressed Qatari investors, inviting them to explore the promising opportunities Rwanda offers, affirming that his country enjoys political and economic stability and adopts transparent legal and regulatory frameworks that ensure investor protection.

Gulf Times
Business

Al-Sayed meets Ghana's foreign minister

His Excellency Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Sayed, Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs, met with Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ghana, who is currently visiting Qatar.The meeting reviewed the trade and investment relations between the two countries and explored ways to enhance bilateral relations, in addition to discussing a number of issues of mutual interest.

A Meta Platforms chart on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Option-selling strategies have abounded in 2025, from exchange-traded fund overwrites to systematic zero-day to expiry trades and bank Quantitative Investment Strategies. On the other side, the dealers typically rebalance their positions each day by selling into rallies and buying dips.
Business

Popular zero-day options strategies keep a lid on stock rallies

Investors’ daily waves of option sales are poised to slow a sustained stock rally back to record highs.Option-selling strategies have abounded in 2025, from exchange-traded fund overwrites to systematic zero-day to expiry trades and bank Quantitative Investment Strategies. On the other side, the dealers typically rebalance their positions each day by selling into rallies and buying dips.The slowing effect may be felt more on gains than drops, as JPMorgan Chase & Co strategists led by Bram Kaplan noted an increasing preference for selling calls over puts in recent weeks. Meanwhile, UBS Group AG points to a particular strategy — selling so-called iron condors — that is popular with retail traders.With investors focused on ever-shortening windows of volatility to manage risks, the influence of contracts expiring from zero to five days away has surged. Zero-day to expiry options in particular keep scaling new heights at about 60% of overall S&P 500 Index volume.The short iron condor strategy — where a trader sells a call spread above the current market level and a put spread below it — has become popular with some retail traders, boosting volumes. Positioning on one-day to expiry option trades in the S&P 500 — specifically via the short iron condors — may have helped contain recent rallies, according to derivatives strategists at UBS.“This 1DTE iron-condor flow is now leaving a very clear imprint on SPX options positioning profiles, to the extent that it may be influencing underlying price action,” said Kieran Diamond, derivatives strategist at UBS.The iron condor strategy is set up to collect premium as long as the market stays in a narrow range. Market makers holding the opposite side of such trades have more hedging to manage when the underlying price approaches the nearer call strike in the final 30 minutes of trading. The size of the spreads and the distance between the strike prices has increased in recent months, according to UBS.While overall market maker gamma positioning from 0DTEs is dynamic during trading hours, much of the flow is still from investors selling options. Dealer positioning is most extreme on the upside call strikes. The lower volatility on those increases the gamma per unit of notional, making the dealer hedging impact more pronounced.“The most significant risk sits to the upside, with SPX market makers managing very large long gamma exposure from the calls that the condor traders have sold to them,” said Diamond. “When managing this risk, market makers need to sell equities as the index moves up toward the strike, which makes it incrementally harder for the S&P to rally during the trading session.”The end of the day is particularly fraught. In the most extreme example from Oct. 24, S&P 500 dealer gamma reached a peak of around $90bn 10 minutes before the close, according to Diamond. This means that a roughly 0.1% move in spot would generate around $10bn in flow to be bought or sold.While that can be absorbed by the futures market, it isn’t without a price impact. In theory, markets may be more likely to gap-up outside of regular hours in Asia or Europe, as the dealer hedging needs subside at the close every day.“There were a number of sessions through October when the market seemed to struggle to break through the region where this long gamma is concentrated, but then rallied after the close once the majority of the options risk had expired,” said Diamond.That may offer opportunities to exploit such price distortions, for example buying a one-day option at the close every day and selling it back at the open the next morning. Dealer gamma resets daily from this flow, so positioning tends to flatten around the end of trading at 4 pm New York time.Some are sceptical about the market impact of a particular option strategy like the iron condor.“Of the 25 or so different things that are pushing markets in different directions, this is one of the 25,” said Chris Murphy, co-head of derivatives strategy at Susquehanna International Group.Murphy said it was simply “one of many factors” influencing the market. “It gets more attention than it deserves.”Also, there are questions about the sustainability of such systematic short option flows, especially if they are retail driven.“Any systematic short-option strategy generally harvests premium pretty well until a high volatility environment realises and then it kills the trade via convex losses,” said Garrett DeSimone, head quant at OptionMetrics. “Even if you have great risk management and you can time the exit points, you will likely end up being sidelined for such a long period that your investors will likely lose patience and redeem.”

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the country's sovereign wealth fund, has invested in d-Matrix, a pioneer in generative AI (artificial intelligence) inference for data centres
Business

QIA invests in d-Matrix; joins Series C $275mn funding round

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the country's sovereign wealth fund, has invested in d-Matrix, a pioneer in generative AI (artificial intelligence) inference for data centres.Valued at $2bn and bringing the total raised to date to $450mn, d-Matrix will use the new capital to advance their roadmap, accelerate global expansion and support multiple large-scale deployments of the world’s highest performing, most efficient data centre inference platform for hyperscalers, enterprise, and sovereign customers.The oversubscribed round attracted leading investment firms across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. The funding was co-led by a global consortium including BullhoundCapital, Triatomic Capital, and Temasek, and welcomed new investors including QIA and EDBI, alongside follow-on participation from M12, Microsoft’s Venture Fund, as well as Mirae Asset, Industry Ventures, and Nautilus Venture Partners.d-Matrix's full-stack inference platform combines breakthrough compute-memory integration, high-speed networking, and inference-optimised software to deliver 10× faster performance, 3× lower cost, and 3–5× better energy efficiency than GPU-based systems.This step-change in performance and efficiency directly addresses growing AI sustainability challenges. By enabling one data centre to handle the workload of ten, d-Matrix offers a clear path to reducing global data centre energy consumption while enabling enterprises to deliver cost-efficient, profitable AI services without compromise.“From day one, d-Matrix has been uniquely focused on inference. When we started d-Matrix six years ago, training was seen as AI’s biggest challenge, but we knew that a new set of challenges would be coming soon,” said Sid Sheth, chief executive officer and co-founder of d-Matrix.“We predicted that when trained models needed to run continuously at scale, the infrastructure wouldn't be ready. We've spent the last six years building the solution: a fundamentally new architecture that enables AI to operate everywhere, all the time. This funding validates that vision as the industry enters the Age of AI Inference,” he added.Investor confidence reflects d-Matrix’s differentiated technology, rapid customer growth, and expanding network of global partners — including the recently announced d-Matrix SquadRack open standards-based reference architecture with Arista, Broadcom, and Supermicro.A strong product roadmap featuring 3D memory-stacking innovations and a customer-centric go-to-market strategy further establishes d-Matrix as a cornerstone of the new AI infrastructure stack.

The roundtable took place during His Excellency the Minister of Finance Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari's official visit to the UK. It focused on strengthening economic relations and exploring investment opportunities between the two countries.
Business

Qatar and UK explore investment opportunities at London roundtable

His Excellency the Minister of Finance Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari participated in a roundtable discussion between Qatar and the United Kingdom in London, attended by leading executives from the financial and professional services sectors.The roundtable took place during the Minister's official visit to the UK. It focused on strengthening economic relations and exploring investment opportunities between the two countries.Discussions highlighted ways to mobilise Qatari capital to support growth initiatives in the UK, as well as opportunities for British investment in projects aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030, promoting sustainable development and economic growth.Participants also emphasised the importance of long-term institutional partnerships designed to mitigate risks and maximise returns, enhancing economic integration between Qatar and the UK while supporting innovative projects in the financial and services sectors.