Microsoft took a minority stake in G42, the Abu Dhabi-based AI company, with a $1.5 billion investment. Vice Chair and President Brad Smith joined G42's board. G42 will run its AI services on Microsoft Azure, and the two companies agreed to set up a $1 billion fund for developers. The deal came with an intergovernmental assurance agreement involving the US and the UAE, binding both sides to standards on AI safety and security — presented as an answer to concerns in the US Congress about G42's ties to Chinese companies.