Core42 signs MoU to bring sovereign AI expertise to 7,158 Lombardy companies

Core42, the G42 company specialising in sovereign enabled cloud and AI infrastructure, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Assolombarda to promote AI adoption among the Italian association's 7,158 member companies, which together have more than 440,000 people. Assolombarda represents businesses across Milan, Monza and Brianza, Lodi and Pavia. It describes itself as the largest association in Italy's Confindustria System by size and representativeness.

The agreement centres on forgIA, Assolombarda's secure, interoperable industrial data environment. forgIA is designed to let companies share data and build industry-specific AI applications while keeping control of their data and intellectual property. Core42 will share its expertise in secure cloud and AI architecture to support forgIA's approach to data governance, confidentiality and industrial value chain security, drawing on deployments in the UAE and other markets.

“For industrial businesses, sovereignty means keeping control of their data and meeting their governance requirements while gaining access to advanced AI capabilities. That is the experience we are sharing with forgIA,” said Talal M. Al Kaissi, Chief Executive Officer of Core42.

“Today, the digital transition and data sovereignty represent the central challenges for the future competitiveness of businesses,” said Alvise Biffi, President of Assolombarda. He described Core42 as a “high-calibre international technology partner” and said the agreement is part of the association's commitment to providing its territory with cutting-edge expertise and infrastructure.

Under the MoU, the two organisations will explore setting up a dedicated channel within forgIA so member companies can draw on Core42's technical expertise. This would include workshops and guidance on evaluating sovereign-enabled AI and cloud approaches. A programme of roundtables, webinars and forums will cover industrial data management and cybersecurity.

“The MoU reflects Core42's focus on enabling AI at scale through secure, governed infrastructure that helps organisations move AI into production,” Al Kaissi said.

“The collaboration initiated between the ecosystems of Milan and Abu Dhabi transforms traditional bilateral trade into a systemic partnership capable of uniting our manufacturing excellence with the UAE's strategic vision and global connectivity,” Biffi said. He added that the agreement gives further momentum to relations with the Gulf region.

Assolombarda has been active in GCC countries for ten years, with dozens of missions and visits across the Gulf involving more than 500 companies. In January 2026, it opened a dedicated space within the Hub for Made in Italy in Abu Dhabi, and it plans to open an operational office in Dubai.

The MoU also provides for networking between Assolombarda members and technology companies across the wider G42 ecosystem. The aim is to connect Lombardy firms looking at AI adoption with partners and capabilities in the UAE.

“This MoU marks the start of that collaboration, and we look forward to building on it,” Al Kaissi said. The announcement describes the agreement as knowledge-sharing and does not disclose financial terms, timelines or deployment commitments. The dedicated forgIA channel is also still something the partners will explore.

For industry more broadly, the deal shows that governance has become as much of a barrier to AI adoption as access to technology. Neither company presents Core42's role as selling compute. Instead, it is sharing its experience of putting governed AI into production with an industrial network that is still working out how to share data safely. “This offers our more than 7,158 member companies concrete, secure tools to drive the adoption of artificial intelligence and strengthen their positioning in global markets,” Biffi said.

“Together with Assolombarda, we are giving member companies across Lombardy access to the expertise we have built in taking sovereign-enabled AI into production, and to the partners across our network who can help them apply it,” Al Kaissi added.