Brief
October 2025
UAE-Backed Capital Expands US Tech, Energy, and Logistics Footprint
Abu Dhabi’s MGX , Oracle, and Silver Lake will lead the acquisition of TikTok’s US business, securing the app’s future under American oversight. MGX also co-invested with Silver Lake in Altera, while Lunate and Blackstone launched a $5B Gulf logistics platform. Meanwhile, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) unveiled a new reasoning model matching the performance of OpenAI and DeepSeek, cementing the UAE’s role as an emerging AI powerhouse.
1 big thing: MGX, Oracle, and Silver Lake to Lead Investment in TikTok US
Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX will serve as the primary investors in TikTok’s US business. Together, the three entities will hold a combined 45% stake in TikTok USA, with ByteDance retaining 19.9% and the remaining 35% distributed among existing and new investors.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order endorsing the deal, which will preserve TikTok’s US operations under new ownership following national security concerns in Congress. Oracle will oversee data management and security operations, and the company’s new board will include a majority of American directors.
Why it matters
- Positions UAE-based MGX alongside major US investors in a globally influential tech platform.
- Strengthens UAE-US economic and digital investment ties during a pivotal phase of AI expansion.
- Ensures TikTok continues to operate in the US, protecting millions of jobs, creators, and advertisers.
Additional stories shaping the UAE–US economic partnership:
Blackstone and Abu Dhabi’s Lunate announced a $5 billion investment platform, GLIDE, to develop and acquire logistics assets across the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The partnership will focus on high-quality warehouses, greenfield developments, and portfolio acquisitions, supporting the region’s economic diversification and trade growth. The platform will attract additional strategic partners and expand regional teams to accelerate growth.
Abu Dhabi’s MGX has joined Silver Lake in acquiring a majority stake in California-based chipmaker Altera, leaving Intel with 49% ownership.
The deal, valued at $8.75 billion, strengthens MGX’s presence in the US semiconductor industry. Omar Alismail, MGX’s Chief Investment Officer, said Altera represents “a foundational platform for next-generation computing.” The investment aligns with MGX’s strategy to scale key US technologies critical to the global AI era.
The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) unveiled K2 Think, a reasoning model that matches the performance of OpenAI and DeepSeek systems at a fraction of the size and cost.
Developed in partnership with G42 and running on California-based Cerebras hardware, K2 Think marks a major milestone in affordable, high-performance AI research broadening access to advanced reasoning technologies.