Abu Dhabi’s MBZUAI launches K2 Think V2, an open AI model rivaling US and Chinese systems, and strengthening the UAE’s push for sovereign AI.
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has released a new open-source artificial intelligence model that researchers say places the UAE alongside the US and China in the global race to build advanced AI systems.
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The Abu Dhabi–based university this week unveiled K2 Think V2, a large-scale reasoning model designed for complex analytical tasks. Unlike many leading Western models, K2 Think V2 has been published with full transparency, including its training data, algorithms, and source code.
The release supports the UAE’s push to develop sovereign AI capabilities, at a time when the global AI landscape is increasingly shaped by US and Chinese firms. While Chinese developers have accelerated the release of open-source models, major US technology companies have grown more cautious about disclosing the inner workings of their systems.
MBZUAI President Eric Xing said the launch aims to address what he described as a growing imbalance in open AI development. “In the Western community, there hasn’t really been an answer to the Chinese open-weight models,” Xing said, adding that transparency is becoming essential as AI systems are embedded in public services and national infrastructure.
Independent benchmarking by Artificial Analysis found that K2 Think V2 performs at a level comparable to leading open models developed in the US and China. The model also scored highly on reducing hallucinations, a key challenge for deploying AI in regulated and high-risk environments such as government, healthcare, and critical infrastructure.
Artificial Analysis said the system ranked at the top of its openness benchmarks, reflecting MBZUAI’s decision to fully disclose its training methodology. The firm was commissioned by the university to evaluate the model ahead of its public release.
The launch comes as Abu Dhabi scales investment in AI infrastructure, including advanced data-centre capacity linked to the OpenAI-led Stargate project and capital deployment through MGX, the emirate’s state-backed AI investment vehicle.
Keegan McBride, senior policy adviser on emerging technology and geopolitics at the Tony Blair Institute, said the UAE has joined a small group of countries capable of building globally competitive AI systems. “The UAE continues to punch above its weight,” he said, pointing to sustained investment and long-term planning.
MBZUAI said K2 Think V2 was trained at a fraction of the cost of comparable US and Chinese models, using fewer than 2,000 of Nvidia’s most advanced chips — a signal of increasing efficiency in large-model development.
Why MBZUAI Matters to MENA
MBZUAI’s release signals a strategic shift for the Middle East, from consuming global AI tools to building sovereign, export-ready models. For governments, it offers an alternative to US- or China-controlled systems at a time when data sovereignty and national security are top priorities.
For startups and enterprises across MENA, open models like K2 Think V2 lower barriers to experimentation, localization, and deployment, reducing reliance on closed platforms and expensive licenses. More broadly, it positions the region as a serious third pole in global AI development, not just an infrastructure or capital provider.
