UAE President endorses launch of K2 Think

Progress in modern technologies

His Highness affirmed that the UAE continues to make significant progress in advancing investment in modern technologies and artificial intelligence, harnessing their potential to drive national development, keep pace with global progress, and realise the country’s vision of a better future for generations to come.

Commemorating Sheikh Khalifa's legacy

The announcement coincides with the anniversary of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s birth on 7 September, in recognition of his role in laying the foundations of technology, science, and innovation in the UAE.

The frontier of reasoning in AI

Reasoning is widely recognised as the next great frontier of artificial intelligence. It is about enabling AI not just to see, hear, or create – but to think more deeply, to tackle the hardest problems, and to unlock new levels of discovery, innovation, and scientific exploration for humanity.

Launch of K2 think

In the coming week, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and G42 will release K2 Think, the world’s most advanced open-source reasoning model. Designed to be leaner and smarter, K2 Think delivers frontier-class performance in a remarkably compact form – often matching, or even surpassing, the results of models an order of magnitude larger. The result: greater efficiency, more flexibility, and broader real-world applicability.

Strengthening position in advanced technologies

On this occasion, His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC), stated that the launch of K2 Think marks an important step in the UAE’s efforts to strengthen its position in advanced technologies and AI. It also reflects the country’s national vision for a future driven by innovation and knowledge.

Collaboration for impactful achievements

He also praised the productive collaboration between MBZUAI and G42 which resulted in this significant achievement, describing it as a model of impactful partnerships that serve the UAE’s development aspirations.

A model of public-private partnership

This achievement stems from a deep collaboration between MBZUAI’s Institute of Foundation Models (IFM) and G42. Together, they represent the UAE’s growing leadership in fusing world-class research, advanced engineering, and cutting-edge infrastructure – a model of visionary public–private partnership.

A watershed moment for AI in the UAE

More than a model, K2 Think is a watershed moment for AI in the UAE. It is both a technological milestone and a bold statement of intent on the global stage, proving how open innovation and industry collaboration are shaping the next era of artificial intelligence.