UAE commits $1 billion to French space AI project

The United Arab Emirates is becoming the leading source of funding for French technology companies. Following the February 2025 cooperation agreement on artificial intelligence between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Emirati counterpart, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which called for €30 to €50 billion in investment in data centers, a new $1 billion (€850 million) project was announced on Wednesday, September 9, just ahead of the opening of the International Space Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris, which runs through Thursday, September 10.

The funding will be provided by Marlan Space, a subsidiary of International Holding Company (IHC), the Emirati royal family conglomerate, which manages 428 billion dirhams (approximately €100 billion) in assets. The goal is to create a constellation of 50 AI-equipped satellites developed and operated by the French-American start-up Loft Orbital.

Current satellites collect data (photos, videos, measurements and more) and transmit it to the ground for analysis. With the new constellation, the data will be processed directly in space, and AI agents will send alerts within seconds. "For example, when the satellite passes over the Vercors [mountainous region in southeast France], its infrared camera will record a video that is analyzed onboard," Pierre-Damien Vaujour, co-founder and director general of Loft Orbital, told Le Monde. "If a hotspot indicating a fire is detected, the AI agent will automatically send a message to authorities with the coordinates."

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