SandboxAQ, the artificial intelligence and quantum technology company spun off from Google parent Alphabet, expects that large quantitative models (LQMs) will enable the UAE to export its expertise in key sectors worldwide.
The California-based company said biotechnology, finance, energy and logistics are the sectors that would benefit the most from LQMs, and is in the “early stages” of developing customer relationships in the Emirates, Jack Hidary, its chief executive, told The National in Dubai.
The company is financially robust as it strives to start the next wave of the AI revolution, he added.
“There is so much great activity in the UAE and so many companies interested in [LQMs] … when you look at the UAE economy, you can see there certainly is a role [for LQMs] to play, [and] the bigger applications for the UAE are really on the quantitative AI side,” he said in an interview.
LQMs are advanced AI systems that are designed to analyse, process and generate quantitative data rather than natural language, which is the basis for large language models that power generative AI.
For instance, the LQM of SandboxAQ's AQBioSim platform, which aids in drug discovery, is trained on physics-based technology to help produce entirely new molecules from scratch with desired sets of properties, according to its website.
“Word-based AI is trained only on the words of the internet. So if it's not on the internet, it doesn't know it … we produce data in a very different way [like] from actual equations. We don't take any data from the internet, so [LQMs] are a fundamentally different AI,” Mr Hidary said.
Tapping into LQMs will also enable UAE companies to create several intellectual properties, including assets in biotechnology, materials and new energy, boosting the economy and expanding the country's capabilities that would be recognised globally, he said.
“What if the UAE would be its own creator of biotech IP and it would be first approved here, then go to other countries? That would be very positive for the UAE,” Mr Hidary said.
“The IP that is produced out of our software is owned by the customer, so it's an IP-generating machine for them … that can then build up the value of the UAE's exportable assets.”
Governments and enterprises would also be able to save “significant” amounts of time and costs using LQMs, aside from producing better products, he said.
“If you use LQMs to calculate what a new drug might be, you can explore a much bigger potential drug space than humans ever could on their own. So, we could go beyond just human capabilities of physically trying to mix and match drugs or chemicals, and that's really the power of LQMs.”
SandboxAQ raised $500 million in early 2023 – boosting its valuation to about $4 billion, according to industry tracker Pitchbook – to support its quantum tech and cyber security work. The company is not seeking to raise more investments in the foreseeable future and is instead focusing on developing products, attracting customers and building its team, Mr Hidary said.
“We still have most of the money in the bank, [so] not yet. Perhaps that might happen in the future, but not at this time … the use of proceeds has been in investing in the team,” he said.
SandboxAQ was founded in 2016 by Mr Hidary as a moonshot quantum unit at Alphabet while he was a group director at the technology giant. It was then spun off in 2022 and as an independent entity, funded by investors including T Rowe Price, Breyer Capital, Guggenheim Partners, Paladin Capital Group and former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt, who became and remains as SandboxAQ's chairman.
It is focused on the third quantum revolution – the first revolved around nuclear, while the second involved lasers, global positioning systems and transistors used in mobile devices – to deliver “critical advances” in life sciences, financial services, navigation, cyber technology and other sectors, according to its website.
While LLMs have their own key purposes, LQMs, Mr Hidary said, are better suited for the “big, big sectors of the economy”.
“It will be for many more people than LLMs in the business world. From a B2B perspective, it's a much bigger market, probably 50 times as large,” he added.
LQMs are also more robust and resilient than LLMs, he said, providing extra layers of security, which has been a hot topic when it comes to the responsible use of AI.
“LQMs are trained on the equations of reality, the physics, chemistry and biology that we know to be true, and that gives it a tremendous advantage in creating IP, value, medicines and diagnostic machines, which are critical challenges,” Mr Hidary said.
“And some people say, 'maybe we need to halt or pause AI'. I would actually say the opposite when it comes to LQMs, as it is irresponsible not to use AI because it can bring so many positive benefits to humans.”
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EMen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Saif%20Al%20Zaabi%2C%20Salem%20Al%20Marzooqi%2C%20Zayed%20Al%20Ansaari%2C%20Saud%20Abdulaziz%20Rahmatalla%2C%20Adel%20Shanbih%2C%20Ahmed%20Khamis%20Al%20Blooshi%2C%20Abdalla%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Khaled%20Al%20Hammadi%2C%20Mohammed%20Khamis%20Khalaf%2C%20Mohammad%20Fahad%2C%20Abdulla%20Al%20Arimi.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWomen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mozah%20Al%20Zeyoudi%2C%20Haifa%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Ayesha%20Al%20Mutaiwei.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Nadhra, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Dars, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Taghzel, Malin Holmberg, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: M’Y Yaromoon, Khalifa Al Neyadi, Jesus Rosales
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeem, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson
Four stars
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Other promotions
- Deliveroo will team up with Pineapple Express to offer customers near JLT a special treat: free banana caramel dessert with all orders on January 26
- Jones the Grocer will have their limited edition Australia Day menu available until the end of the month (January 31)
- Australian Vet in Abu Dhabi (with locations in Khalifa City A and Reem Island) will have a 15 per cent off all store items (excluding medications)
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
