‎New Delhi, Feb 19 (.) ‎India and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday elevated artificial intelligence and advanced technologies to the forefront of their bilateral partnership, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
‎Sheikh Khaled, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, is on a two-day official visit to India from February 18–19 to participate in the Summit, marking his second official visit since September 2024. The meeting reaffirmed what both sides described as the strength and expanding scope of the India–UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
‎According to an official release from the Prime Minister’s Office, the two leaders underscored that Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies would form a central pillar of future cooperation.
‎They welcomed the finalisation of a term sheet between India’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), G42 and Mohamed Bin Zayed University of AI for the deployment of a supercomputer cluster in India. The project follows an announcement made jointly by Prime Minister Modi and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during the latter’s visit to India on January 19, 2026.
‎The supercomputer cluster will be integrated into the AI India Mission and made accessible to public and private sector entities for research, application development and commercial use.
‎The leaders also discussed expanding collaboration in strategic sectors such as space, nuclear energy, technology and innovation, signalling a broadening of the technology partnership beyond AI alone.
‎Four Years of CEPA
‎The meeting coincided with the fourth anniversary of the India–UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed on February 18, 2022. Both sides noted that bilateral trade and investment have seen “remarkable growth” over the past four years.
‎They commended strong two-way investment flows and encouraged UAE sovereign wealth funds to continue investing in India’s growth story. In this context, they acknowledged the potential of L’Imad, described as the UAE’s newest sovereign fund, for further strengthening economic cooperation.
‎An additional step in deepening financial ties was announced with the setting up of an office of Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company in GIFT City, Gujarat.
‎The two sides also finalised a Memorandum of Understanding between India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention on cooperation in health and medicine.
‎The MoU aims to promote professional exchanges, institutional collaboration, joint research, digital health initiatives, pharmaceuticals and the development of modern health technologies benefitting citizens of both countries.
‎In their discussions, the leaders reaffirmed that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is anchored not only in trade and energy ties but also in strong political, cultural and people-to-people linkages. They recalled recent visits to India by President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and members of the royal families of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, highlighting the regularity of high-level engagements.
‎Sheikh Khaled congratulated Prime Minister Modi for the successful organisation of the AI Impact Summit. Prime Minister Modi, in turn, welcomed Switzerland’s initiative to host the next AI Summit, which will be followed by the UAE.
‎The visit, officials said, reinforced high-level political commitment to expanding the India–UAE technology partnership and underscored AI and advanced technologies as defining features of the next phase of bilateral relations.
. SKA RB 1810
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