Northslope, an artificial intelligence company created by former Palantir employees, has opened an office in the UAE, its first in the Gulf region.
The US technology firm, founded in 2024, provides AI-powered software for various businesses and organisations around the world and is quickly garnering more attention in the burgeoning sector.
The company claims that its custom AI software solutions run on Palantir's operating system. Its clients include companies focused on the global logistics, asset management, energy, manufacturing, and aerospace sectors, among others.
Harvey Young, managing partner for Northslope's UAE division, said that the country's prioritisation of investing in and deploying AI played a large role in the decision to open an office there.
"Almost every country has announced big AI ambitions, very few are doing the hard work to make them real, and that's what sets the UAE apart," he said in an exclusive interview with The National.
"Decisions get taken at the top and then they actually happen, in months rather than years." He added that Northslope's having a presence in the UAE would "make us better at what we do".
In turn, he said Northslope's offerings would improve wherever its tools are used around the world.
Mr Young said that technical aspects aside, there were other significant advantages to opening an office in Abu Dhabi.
"There is the practical side of moving here, seeing as how it's easy to relocate and build a life in the UAE," he said.
"The residency routes for technical talent are some of the best anywhere, and Abu Dhabi has become a serious place to build a company."
Mr Young will be based full-time in the UAE capital as managing partner, leading the company's regional customer engagements, partnerships and business development in the Middle East.
Bill Ward, Northslope's founder and chief executive, reflected on the importance of the company's decision to establish an office in the region.
"Harvey and our entire Abu Dhabi team combine the very best of customer-aligned forward deployed engineering with deep experience delivering production-grade solutions in the exceptional innovation environment of the UAE," he said.
Months ago, Northrope established a team of six engineers in the UAE, and soon decided to expand to solidify its presence "in response to strong early demand from organisations across the region".
In April, Northslope announced that it had raised approximately $22 million during a series-A funding round led by Friend & Family Capital, joined by Fifth Down and Leblon Capital.
Northslope, with a total of 136 employees is based in Denver, Colorado. It has hub offices in New York, London and now Abu Dhabi.
The company says that it is "proudly backed by former Palantir leadership". Palantir is one of the world's leading AI data-mining companies.
It recently partnered with Dubai Holding and launched a platform called Aither in an attempt to drive the AI-powered transformation of the public and private sectors in Dubai.
