What did the client need?

As the world’s first graduate-level research university dedicated to AI, MBZUAI is the engine room of the UAE’s "AI Strategy 2031." To support breakthroughs in Large Language Models (LLMs)—including the development of Jais, the world’s leading Arabic LLM—the university required a massive expansion of its high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities.

The challenge was not just about hardware; it was about the "Brainware." MBZUAI needed a highly specific caliber of engineer: individuals who could bridge the gap between academic research and industrial-scale data center operations. The search required talent capable of managing NVIDIA DGX H100/B200 clusters, multi-petabyte storage environments, and the complex cooling requirements of the Arabian Gulf’s climate.

How did Osmii help?

Osmii leveraged its global network to identify and relocate "top 1%" technical talent to Abu Dhabi. We focused on the unique intersection of Research-Driven Engineering and Hyperscale Infrastructure.

Our specialized delivery team focused on four key pillars:

• HPC & GPU Orchestration: Sourcing Senior HPC Engineers with deep expertise in SLURM and Kubernetes to manage massively parallel deep learning workloads.
• Petabyte-Scale Storage: Identifying HPC Storage Engineers specializing in parallel file systems like WekaFS, Lustre, and BeeGFS—essential for the lightning-fast data ingestion required for LLM training.
• InfiniBand & RDMA Networking: Headhunting network architects capable of designing non-blocking fabrics that allow thousands of GPUs to communicate as a single, cohesive supercomputer.
• Data Engineering for AI: Placing engineers to build the automated pipelines that process the vast, diverse datasets fueling MBZUAI’s research labs.

The Outcome

Our partnership has directly contributed to the operational excellence of the MBZUAI compute facility, now one of the most powerful AI research hubs in the world.

• Global Talent Magnet: Osmii successfully relocated specialists from leading tech hubs in Silicon Valley, Europe, and Asia to Masdar City, Abu Dhabi.
• Accelerated Research: By placing the right infrastructure and storage engineers, we helped reduce model training times, allowing MBZUAI researchers to iterate on complex AI models faster than ever before.
• Localized Expertise: We ensured the team had the specific knowledge to handle the liquid-to-chip cooling technologies necessary for maintaining peak performance in a high-ambient-temperature environment.

Why MBZUAI? Why the UAE?

The MBZUAI Data Center is at the forefront of the global AI race, and for engineers, it offers an environment unlike any other:

1. Sovereign AI Power: The UAE is investing billions to ensure AI sovereignty, meaning engineers at MBZUAI work on the world's most advanced hardware with near-unlimited resources.
2. Masdar City Ecosystem: Located in a sustainable "Smart City," the DC operates within a hub of innovation that combines cutting-edge tech with a net-zero carbon vision.
3. Cultural Impact: Hiring for this site means contributing to projects like Jais, which is bringing the power of Generative AI to over 400 million Arabic speakers worldwide.

"Working with MBZUAI isn't just about staffing a data center; it's about building the foundation for the next century of innovation in the Middle East. The talent we’ve placed here is literally architecting the future of Arabic AI."