In a significant validation of the UAE’s growing deep-tech ecosystem, Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research pillar of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), has sold its advanced cryptographic AI technologies to San Francisco-based OPAQUE. The acquisition marks the first time foundational AI technology developed in the UAE has been acquired for deployment at scale by a major US tech company, signaling a strategic win for the country’s research and development initiatives.
Quick Facts
- US-based OPAQUE acquires Abu Dhabi-developed cryptographic AI technology.
- The deal adds post-quantum protection for AI models.
- First acquisition of its kind for a UAE-developed technology.
A Strategic Win for Abu Dhabi’s Tech Vision
The deal, overseen by H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President and Secretary General of ATRC, is a major proof point for the UAE’s strategy of investing in foundational research to become a global producer of advanced technology. The cryptographic AI capabilities developed in Abu Dhabi will now be integrated into OPAQUE’s platform and deployed globally.
“This acquisition reflects what the UAE has set out to do — produce foundational technology that the world adopts,” said H.E. Faisal Al Bannai. “Cryptographic AI capabilities developed in Abu Dhabi are now being deployed at global scale by a leading US technology company. The UAE is not only adopting the AI economy — we are leading.”
Unlocking Sensitive Data with Post-Quantum Security
OPAQUE, a “Confidential AI” company founded by researchers from UC Berkeley, helps enterprises run AI models on sensitive and regulated data without exposing it. The technology acquired from TII adds two critical capabilities: confidential AI model training using advanced cryptographic methods and post-quantum protections designed to withstand threats from future quantum computers.
This allows organizations in high-stakes industries like healthcare and finance to use valuable datasets—such as patient records or financial transactions—for AI training and deployment with verifiable, hardware-enforced security rules.
“The future of AI depends on unlocking the data organizations have never been able to touch,” said Ion Stoica, Co-Founder of OPAQUE and Co-Founder of Databricks. “With this acquisition, OPAQUE is the only platform delivering hardware-attested cryptographic evidence across the full AI lifecycle — training, fine-tuning, inference, and agents — with protections engineered to withstand quantum-era threats.”
From UAE Labs to Global Deployment
For TII and ATRC, the transaction validates a deliberate strategy: invest in foundational research, prove its value, and then scale it globally through commercial partners. The technology will now be accessible to OPAQUE’s enterprise clients, which include ServiceNow, Anthropic, and Accenture.
“We developed these cryptographic technologies to address a fundamental challenge in AI: how to enable powerful models to work with highly sensitive data without compromising confidentiality or trust,” said Dr. Najwa Aaraj, Chief Executive Officer of TII. “OPAQUE was the right partner to bring this to market because it has already built the enterprise platform and customer base to deploy it at scale. This is what applied research is for — foundational technology developed in Abu Dhabi, now moving from the lab into real-world global deployment.”
The acquisition follows OPAQUE’s recent $24 million Series B funding round at a $300 million valuation and was highlighted at the Make it in the Emirates forum.
About Technology Innovation Institute (TII)
The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is the dedicated applied research pillar of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC). TII is a pioneering global research and development center that focuses on applied research and new-age technology capabilities. The Institute has 9 dedicated research centers in advanced materials, autonomous robotics, cryptography, AI and digital science, directed energy, quantum, secure systems, propulsion and space, and renewable and sustainable energy.
About OPAQUE
OPAQUE is the Confidential AI company. Born from UC Berkeley’s RISELab, OPAQUE solves the core challenge blocking AI adoption at scale: concerns about data leaks and compliance violations. OPAQUE provides verifiable privacy and governance for AI so organizations can safely run models, agents, and workflows on their most sensitive data. Its Confidential AI platform delivers verifiable runtime governance backed by cryptographic proof that data, models, and agent actions remain private, governed, and compliant with approved policies throughout every AI workflow.
Source: Zawya
