AI - WORLDEF

OpenAI Localizes AI Processing in the UAE

OpenAI has launched its “Inference Residency” service in the United Arab Emirates. With the new implementation, eligible customers’ AI model inference operations can be carried out on GPUs located within the country’s borders. The UAE has thus become the third region, after the United States and Europe, to offer “inference residency” for ChatGPT.

Model Inference with OpenAI Will Take Place Within the UAE

Unlike the existing “Data Residency” implementation, Inference Residency determines not only where data is stored, but also where the GPU operations through which the AI model processes customer content are carried out. To benefit from the service, data residency must also be enabled in the same region. While eligible ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu customers can use this option, regional processing support is also available for certain API services in the UAE.

E-Commerce and Retail Companies Will Also Be Able to Benefit

OpenAI’s new infrastructure also allows e-commerce and retail companies that meet the eligibility requirements to run supported AI workloads in the UAE. Customer content covered by the service includes prompts, files, conversations, and embeddings data generated from this content. The local GPU processing option is available not only to sectors with specific data-location requirements, such as finance, healthcare, education, and government, but also to e-commerce and retail businesses using artificial intelligence.

GPT-5.2 and Feature Limitations on ChatGPT

According to OpenAI’s official information, GPT-5.2 is currently available in ChatGPT workspaces configured with inference residency in the UAE. Image generation, built-in search, ChatGPT Work, and enhanced memory are not supported, while standard saved memories can continue to be used. In addition, some non-GPU processes, such as authentication, routing, and analytics, may be carried out outside the region.

AI Adoption Is Accelerating in the UAE

Farouk El Hamzawi, Head of Enterprise for OpenAI MENA, stated that organizations in the UAE are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence and that the government’s long-term technology vision is supporting this process. El Hamzawi said that with the Inference Residency service, eligible customers are given greater control over where their AI workloads are run, while stronger regional assurances are provided to organizations scaling their use of artificial intelligence.

Amazon Plans Major Texas Data Center Campus to Power AI Growth

Amazon is planning a major new data center campus in Pecos County, Texas, as the technology giant expands infrastructure to support growing demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

According to Amazon, the planned campus will initially be powered by new on-site generation rather than relying entirely on the Texas electricity grid. The company says the facility is designed to transition to grid-connected service as interconnection timelines allow, while it also explores solar energy and battery storage opportunities on site.

New Infrastructure for Growing AI Demand

The project highlights one of the biggest challenges facing the technology sector: securing enough electricity to support increasingly energy-intensive AI workloads.

Amazon says the Pecos County campus represents a long-term investment and is expected to create thousands of new jobs in the region. The company is also positioning the project around resource efficiency, particularly in an area where water availability is an important consideration.

To reduce pressure on local water resources, Amazon says it plans to use water that is not suitable for drinking or irrigation. The company will also deploy custom cooling technology designed to minimize water consumption and explore the use of produced water as another non-potable source.

Energy Challenges Raise Questions

The project is also attracting scrutiny over its energy strategy. Recent reports indicate that the planned on-site natural-gas generation could reach 7.65 gigawatts, with the facility potentially becoming one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in the U.S. if operated at its permitted capacity.

This creates a broader tension for the technology industry: companies are racing to build AI infrastructure while simultaneously facing increasing pressure to reduce emissions, water consumption and their impact on local energy systems.

Amazon maintains that the Pecos County campus will pay the full costs of powering its operations and says its approach is designed not to increase electricity costs for Texas households.

The development reflects a wider shift in the data center industry, where access to reliable power is increasingly becoming as important as access to land and connectivity. As AI adoption accelerates, the ability to secure large-scale energy supplies could become a defining factor in where the next generation of digital infrastructure is built.

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Turkish AI Researcher Koray Kavukcuoglu Takes on Expanded Leadership Role at Google

Google has elevated Turkish AI researcher Koray Kavukcuoglu to a broader leadership position, placing him at the center of the company’s efforts to accelerate artificial intelligence innovation and product integration.

Google has announced a major leadership update within its AI organization, appointing Koray Kavukcuoglu as Senior Vice President and Chief AI Architect while he continues serving as Chief Technology Officer of Google DeepMind. In his expanded role, Kavukcuoglu will oversee the day-to-day execution of Google’s AI strategy and help bring the company’s latest AI models into products more quickly and efficiently.

The appointment comes as Google reshapes its AI leadership. DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis will transition to the newly created role of Alphabet’s Chief Scientist and Chairman of Google DeepMind, focusing on long-term artificial general intelligence (AGI) research and scientific strategy. Kavukcuoglu will take on greater operational responsibility, reporting directly to CEO Sundar Pichai on AI product execution while continuing his leadership at DeepMind.

A Turkish Engineer at the Forefront of AI

Born in Türkiye, Koray Kavukcuoglu earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Middle East Technical University (METU) before completing both a master’s degree and PhD in Computer Science at New York University, where he worked under renowned AI pioneer Yann LeCun.

Since joining DeepMind in 2012, Kavukcuoglu has played a key role in advancing deep learning research. He has led teams behind several breakthrough technologies, including DQN, IMPALA, and WaveNet, innovations that have significantly influenced modern artificial intelligence and speech technologies.

Strengthening Google’s AI Product Strategy

Google says Kavukcuoglu’s expanded responsibilities are aimed at accelerating the integration of its cutting-edge AI models across consumer and enterprise products. His appointment reflects the company’s growing focus on transforming advanced AI research into widely deployed technologies as competition intensifies across the global AI landscape.

The leadership change underscores the increasing influence of Turkish talent in global technology and positions Koray Kavukcuoglu among the most prominent AI executives shaping the future of artificial intelligence.

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Amazon Signs $410 Million Compute Agreement with Recursive Superintelligence

Artificial intelligence startup Recursive Superintelligence has signed a multi-year compute capacity agreement worth $410 million with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The company, which emerged from stealth mode in May 2026 with $650 million in funding, will scale its open-ended and self-improving artificial intelligence systems on AWS infrastructure. It was reported that the company plans to introduce its first tangible products before the end of the year.

Recursive Superintelligence Allocates a Large Portion of Its Budget to Compute

The $410 million agreement represents a significant portion of the funding the startup has raised to date. Recursive Superintelligence Founder and CEO Richard Socher said that this would probably be one of the smallest compute agreements to be signed over the next few years. The company is directing a large portion of the resources that would traditionally be allocated to personnel and operations directly toward computing capacity.

Socher described the company’s approach as focusing “more on the number of agents than the number of employees.” It was stated that AWS did not invest in the company as part of the agreement and that the collaboration was built directly around cloud and compute services. Jason Bennett, AWS Vice President of Startups and Venture Capital, stated that the parties would jointly develop infrastructure tailored to the needs of artificial intelligence companies of this kind.

First Usable Artificial Intelligence Products Could Arrive in October

Socher stated that they aim for artificial intelligence to advance research and product development processes without human intervention. The first tangible and usable products are planned to be made available to users within a few months, around October. While the use cases of the products have not yet been disclosed, no details have been shared regarding a separate solution for the e-commerce and retail sectors.

The Company’s Valuation Reached $4.65 Billion

It was reported that Recursive Superintelligence reached a valuation of $4.65 billion following its $650 million funding round. The company’s automated artificial intelligence research system produced results that surpassed years of human optimization. AWS will provide flexibility, security, and dedicated compute infrastructure to run autonomous research loops in parallel and at scale. Details regarding the processors, accelerators, and other technical resources to be used in the agreement were not disclosed.

Recursive Superintelligence states that it began its work by creating “artificial intelligence that improves artificial intelligence” and aims to generate continuous innovation through open-ended algorithms. Socher previously served as Chief Scientist at Salesforce and also founded You.com and AIX Ventures.

AWS Launches $1 Billion AI Engineering Unit to Accelerate Enterprise Adoption

PaySureFy Launches Africa’s First AI-Powered Escrow Payment Platform

Nigerian fintech startup PaySureFy has launched an AI-powered escrow payment and trust infrastructure to reduce the risk of fraud in online and cross-border transactions. The company describes the platform as Africa’s first AI-powered cross-border escrow payment infrastructure. The system aims to serve buyers, sellers, freelancers, small businesses, e-commerce platforms, corporations, public institutions, and diaspora users.

PaySureFy Links Payments to Predetermined Conditions

PaySureFy combines escrow payment processes, identity verification, AI-powered fraud detection, milestone payments, transaction evidence, compliance checks, and dispute resolution within a single infrastructure. Transactions are completed after the conditions predetermined by the parties have been met.

The company does not operate as a digital wallet or bank that directly holds customer funds. Money transfer and settlement processes are managed by regulated banking and payment partners. PaySureFy is responsible for verifying transactions, enforcing escrow payment rules, conducting fraud checks, obtaining user approvals, and managing disputes. The system provides the trust layer that determines whether a transaction should proceed, be paused, be placed under review, or whether the payment should be released.

Artificial Intelligence Will Review Suspicious Transactions Before Completion

PaySureFy’s AI-powered fraud system was developed to detect suspicious transaction patterns, identity mismatches, and various risk indicators before a transaction is completed. Founder Mgbeoji Austin stated that buyers are concerned about fake sellers, while honest sellers are worried about fake payment notifications, fraudulent orders, and false claims.

Austin said that payment systems have become faster and more accessible, but trust infrastructure has not developed at the same pace. Stating that a transaction cannot be considered complete simply because money has been sent, Austin said that the parties must be verified, the agreement must be clear, and a protection mechanism must be available if a problem arises.

Sales Conducted Through Social Media Will Also Be Covered

The launch of PaySureFy comes at a time when shopping through social media channels such as Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and TikTok has become increasingly widespread. The growth of commerce through these channels has also increased risks such as fake sellers, impersonation, fraudulent payment notifications, delivery problems, and payment disputes.

In addition to online shopping, the platform can be used for freelancer payments, contractor agreements, procurement processes, real estate transactions, and diaspora-funded projects. With milestone payment and partial fund-release features, payments can be made as specified stages of a project or service are completed.

API Support Will Be Offered to E-Commerce Platforms

PaySureFy also plans to offer API services under its “Trust-as-a-Service” model. This will allow marketplaces and e-commerce platforms to integrate escrow payments, identity verification, fraud monitoring, and dispute management features into their own systems. Workflows requiring the approval of multiple authorized individuals before a transaction is completed will also be offered to corporate and public-sector users.

To increase user access across Africa, language options are being prepared in Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Twi, Swahili, and French, as well as Mandarin and Spanish. While PaySureFy’s website, mobile web, and desktop browser versions have been launched, Android access is reportedly being rolled out gradually through the company’s website and will later be released on app stores. The development of PaySureFy began in 2020 during the COVID-19 period, when digital transactions accelerated.

Previously developed under the working names Paytrust Nigeria and Monieguard, the project adopted the PaySureFy brand in 2023 after its scope evolved from payment protection into a broader trust infrastructure.

TikTok Launches Digital Commerce Labs for Nigerian SMEs

Amazon Business Surpasses $60 Billion in Annualized Sales, Accelerates AI-Driven B2B Procurement

Amazon Business has reached a major milestone, surpassing $60 billion in annualized gross sales while serving more than 11 million organizations worldwide. The achievement reflects the platform’s rapid expansion and the growing demand for digital procurement solutions across enterprises, governments, healthcare organizations, and educational institutions.

More than 1.8 million new organizations joined Amazon Business during the first half of 2026, reinforcing the company’s position as one of the world’s largest B2B e-commerce platforms. The continued growth demonstrates how businesses are increasingly shifting procurement operations to digital marketplaces that offer greater efficiency, pricing transparency, and supply chain flexibility.

Agentic AI Reshapes Enterprise Purchasing

Amazon is complementing its marketplace growth with a new generation of AI-powered procurement capabilitiesdesigned to simplify purchasing decisions. The company is introducing intelligent tools that help procurement teams identify cost-saving opportunities, detect unusual spending patterns, recommend relevant products, and automate routine purchasing tasks.

These innovations are part of a broader industry shift toward agentic AI, where autonomous AI systems assist buyers throughout the procurement lifecycle. Rather than relying solely on manual searches, businesses can leverage AI agents to evaluate suppliers, compare products, optimize purchasing decisions, and streamline procurement workflows.

A Growing Global B2B Marketplace

Amazon Business now supports organizations across 11 international markets, offering access to millions of products from third-party sellers alongside Amazon’s own inventory. Customers benefit from business-only pricing, quantity discounts, enhanced Prime Business services, tax-exempt purchasing options, and enterprise-grade procurement integrations.

The platform continues to expand its logistics capabilities, enabling faster commercial deliveries and helping organizations manage procurement more efficiently across multiple departments and locations.

The Future of B2B Commerce Is AI-Driven

Industry analysts believe AI will fundamentally transform enterprise purchasing over the coming years. As intelligent procurement assistants become more capable of managing sourcing, budgeting, compliance, and purchasing decisions, businesses are expected to reduce manual processes while improving operational efficiency and cost control.

Amazon’s combination of marketplace scale, advanced logistics infrastructure, and AI-powered procurement tools positions the company to play a leading role in the next phase of digital B2B commerce.

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NeoFashion.ai Unveils AI Photography Platform to Help Fashion Brands Scale Visual Content

New Platform Enables Fashion Labels to Generate Brand-Consistent AI Imagery

NeoFashion.ai has officially launched its AI-powered photography platform, introducing a solution designed specifically for fashion brands seeking to accelerate content production while maintaining a consistent visual identity. The platform enables retailers, designers, and e-commerce businesses to create high-quality product photography, campaign visuals, and marketing assets using artificial intelligence tailored to each brand’s unique style.

Unlike general-purpose AI image generators, NeoFashion.ai focuses on preserving the creative identity of fashion labels. The platform analyzes a brand’s existing visual assets-including product images, campaigns, styling preferences, and creative references-to develop a customized AI model capable of producing imagery aligned with the brand’s established aesthetic.

Personalized AI Models for Fashion Brands

The company says its technology is built around the concept of “Brand DNA,” allowing fashion businesses to generate images that reflect their signature look rather than generic AI-generated visuals. By learning details such as garment presentation, lighting preferences, model styling, color palettes, and editorial direction, the platform aims to deliver outputs that remain visually consistent across marketing channels.

Brands begin by uploading reference materials and product assets. The AI then creates a customized model that teams can use to generate product photography, campaign imagery, lifestyle visuals, and promotional content through simple text prompts.

Faster Content Creation for E-Commerce Teams

NeoFashion.ai is designed to streamline the content production process for fashion retailers managing large product catalogs and frequent collection launches. Traditional fashion photography often requires extensive planning, studio bookings, photographers, models, and post-production, while AI-generated workflows can significantly reduce production timelines.

The platform enables creative, marketing, and e-commerce teams to produce new visual assets more quickly, helping brands respond faster to seasonal campaigns, product launches, and evolving consumer trends without compromising visual consistency.

Supporting Modern Fashion Marketing

As AI adoption continues to grow across the retail and fashion industries, brands are increasingly exploring technology that enhances efficiency while protecting their creative identity. NeoFashion.ai positions its platform as a specialized solution built exclusively for fashion businesses, offering AI-generated product photography, campaign images, and video content that remain aligned with each brand’s established style.

The launch reflects the growing demand for AI-powered creative tools that support scalable content production while giving fashion companies greater control over how their products and brand image are presented across digital commerce channels.

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Google Tools Generated AED 21.8 Billion in UAE Economic Activity, New Report Finds

Google’s ecosystem of products and services generated an estimated AED 21.8 billion in economic activity across the United Arab Emirates in 2024, according to a new study by research consultancy Public First. The findings highlight the expanding role of Google’s digital platforms and AI-powered technologies in supporting businesses, entrepreneurs, developers and content creators throughout the country.

The report estimates that Google Search, Google Ads, YouTube, Google Cloud and Google Play collectively contributed economic value equivalent to around 1% of the UAE’s GDP, demonstrating how digital technologies have become an increasingly important pillar of the nation’s non-oil economy.

AI Adoption Accelerates Across UAE Businesses

The study found that 91% of UAE businesses already use at least one artificial intelligence tool in their operations, while 87% believe AI represents a significant economic opportunity. Businesses are increasingly deploying AI to improve productivity, automate repetitive tasks, enhance customer service and streamline decision-making.

Google said its AI portfolio, including Gemini and AI-powered capabilities across Search, Workspace and Cloud, is helping organisations work more efficiently while enabling businesses of all sizes to reach customers through digital channels.

SMEs and Digital Creators Benefit

Small and medium-sized enterprises continue to be among the biggest beneficiaries of Google’s ecosystem. Search and Google Ads help companies attract new customers, while YouTube provides creators with monetisation opportunities and broader audience reach. Developers also benefit from Google Play, which supports app distribution and digital entrepreneurship.

The report also highlights Google’s long-term investment in digital skills across the region. Since 2018, the company’s training initiatives have reached more than 430,000 people in the UAE, helping professionals and entrepreneurs build digital marketing and AI capabilities.

Supporting the UAE’s Digital Economy Vision

The findings align with the UAE’s broader strategy to position itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence and digital innovation. Government initiatives promoting AI adoption, cloud computing and digital infrastructure have encouraged businesses to embrace emerging technologies at an accelerated pace.

As AI adoption continues to grow across sectors, Google expects its products and services to play an increasingly important role in supporting productivity, innovation and long-term economic diversification in the UAE.

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Turkish Founders’ Munich-Based 5U AI Raises $3.2 Million in Pre-Seed Funding

Munich-based logistics technology startup 5U AI, founded by Turkish entrepreneurs Yağız Abik and Fehmi Şener, has raised $3.2 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round to accelerate the development of AI-powered digital workers for the freight forwarding industry.

The funding round was led by Emerge Capital and attracted participation from logistics executives and angel investors with backgrounds at DHL, DSV, GEODIS, Maersk, and CEVA Logistics. The company will use the fresh capital to expand its AI platform, strengthen its engineering and commercial teams, and accelerate its expansion across the European logistics market.

Funding to Accelerate AI Adoption in Logistics

The investment comes at a time when freight forwarders are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence to automate labour-intensive processes and improve operational efficiency. As global supply chains become more complex, logistics companies are looking for AI solutions that can reduce manual workloads while enhancing speed and accuracy.

With the new funding, 5U AI plans to further develop its platform, expand multilingual capabilities, and support more logistics providers across Europe.

AI Workers for Freight Forwarders

Founded in 2025 by graduates of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), 5U AI develops AI-powered digital workers designed specifically for freight forwarders, carriers, and third-party logistics (3PL) providers.

Rather than replacing existing transport management systems, the platform integrates with current workflows to automate repetitive operational tasks, including quotation management, shipment bookings, cargo tracking, document processing, invoice reconciliation, and customer communications.

By taking over routine administrative work, the AI Workers enable logistics professionals to focus on customer relationships, operational planning, and business growth.

Transparent Decision-Making

A key differentiator of the platform is its proprietary Context Layer, which records how AI agents make operational decisions. This creates a transparent audit trail, allowing companies to review every action performed by the AI while preserving valuable operational knowledge.

According to the company, this approach transforms AI from a simple assistant into a digital workforce capable of executing complete logistics workflows with traceable decision-making.

Expanding Across Europe

The company is already working with logistics providers across Europe, including TCI International Logistics, where its AI Workers are supporting air and ocean freight operations.

Following the investment, 5U AI plans to expand its product, engineering, sales, and customer success teams while increasing its presence in key European logistics markets.

Growing Investor Interest in Logistics AI

The successful funding round highlights growing investor confidence in specialised AI solutions for the logistics industry, where many operational processes continue to rely on emails, spreadsheets, and manual data entry.

As freight forwarders seek greater efficiency and scalability, startups like 5U AI are attracting increasing attention by delivering automation that complements human expertise rather than replacing it.

With fresh funding and strong backing from experienced logistics investors, the Munich-based startup aims to help freight companies modernise operations and build more efficient, data-driven supply chains.

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Huawei Launches AI-Powered CloudCampus Platform in South Africa

Huawei has launched the Xinghe AI CloudCampus Software-as-a-Service platform in South Africa to enhance the network management of public institutions and businesses with artificial intelligence technologies. Introduced at the Huawei Network Summit 2026 event held in Johannesburg, the platform is built on four key features: flexibility, agility, intelligence, and scalability.

The new service aims to enable organizations to manage their network operations through a centralized, secure, and cloud-based infrastructure. The platform is planned to be used particularly in the digital transformation processes of retail stores, e-commerce businesses, educational institutions, and multi-branch companies.

Huawei Aims to Reduce the Cost of Using Artificial Intelligence

Xinghe AI CloudCampus is offered through a subscription-based SaaS model. The system, which does not require customers to make a high initial capital investment, allows payments to be made according to the capacity used.

Huawei announced that the platform will be supported by local service teams and that data privacy and regulatory compliance processes will be carried out in line with local requirements. Through automatic updates, customers will be able to access the platform’s latest features.

New Stores and Branches Will Connect to the Network Faster

The software-defined branch technology used in the platform enables networks in different locations to be configured collectively. Thanks to plug-and-play device installation, new stores, temporary points of sale, and company branches can be connected to the corporate network in a shorter period of time.

According to Huawei, this structure can increase businesses’ speed of responding to changing needs by more than 80 percent. The system combines Wi-Fi, local area network, wide area network, and security features within a single cloud management platform.

Smart Marketing and Visitor Analysis for Retail

Xinghe AI CloudCampus also supports applications for the retail sector, such as visitor traffic analysis and smart marketing networks. Through the platform, store networks, connectivity infrastructure, and data related to customer movements can be managed centrally.

The artificial intelligence-powered operations and maintenance assistant included in the system can automatically identify and resolve 80 percent of common network problems. Huawei stated that this feature could reduce the time required to resolve failures by 70 percent and network management and maintenance costs by 50 percent.

Shi Lei, Vice President of the NCE Data Communication Domain at Huawei’s Data Communication Product Line, stated that intelligent network management had previously been a service exclusive to large enterprises. Shi said that integrating artificial intelligence into the cloud management platform would also enable small and medium-sized businesses to access these technologies.

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