Gewan Holding Invests in IOPn, Driving $1B+ Valuation for Sovereign AI and Blockchain Pioneer

Gewan Holding, part of Abu Dhabi’s multi-vertical conglomerate NG9 Holding, today announced a landmark strategic partnership with IOPn, a pioneer in decentralized infrastructure. The collaboration will accelerate the development of sovereign AI, blockchain, and digital identity solutions, reinforcing the UAE’s position as a global hub for technological leadership.

At the heart of this partnership is a unique sovereign AI stack powered by NVIDIA GPUs and anchored by IOPn’s OPN Chain. This decentralized infrastructure combines high-performance AI computing with a sovereign digital identity layer, ensuring governments, enterprises, and citizens can operate in secure, compliant, and future-proof environments. Designed for digital governance, finance, healthcare, and real estate, the OPN Chain also enables real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, modern payment infrastructures, and biometric authentication services. Together, this first-of-its-kind model strengthens digital trust, unlocks liquidity, and opens regulated access to global capital markets.

Through its partnership with NG9 Holding, IOPn has secured a commitment that anchors the development of the OPN Chain and high-impact initiatives such as Project ATLAS (the Advanced Tokenized Liquid-cooled AI Stack). Future participation will be extended selectively to strategic investors aligned with IOPn’s vision for sovereign AI and blockchain, underscoring its role as one of the region’s most ambitious technology ventures.

Project ATLAS, developed by IOPn in partnership with Betabytes, an official NVIDIA Cloud Partner (NCP), is one of several initiatives under the collaboration. As an NVIDIA-powered AI data center, ATLAS will provide sovereign-grade AI infrastructure, while the broader partnership spans the entire IOPn ecosystem — including digital financial infrastructure, real-world asset tokenization, and the AI Academy & AI Factory designed to build national talent capacity.

Commenting on the new partnership, Alaa al Ali, Group CEO, NG9 Holding, said: “Our partnership with IOPn, leveraging the OPN Chain, and the launch of Project ATLAS is not just about building technology; it is about securing sovereignty, ensuring resilience, and enabling the UAE to lead in shaping the digital future. This project reinforces our commitment to supporting the UAE’s national AI and digital transformation strategies.”

Amer Al Osh, Chief Development Officer at Gewan Holding, added: “IOPn’s vision for sovereign AI and blockchain aligns seamlessly with our mandate at Gewan Holding to invest in transformative technologies that reinforce the UAE’s leadership on the global stage. By combining the OPN Chain with a sovereign AI stack powered by NVIDIA GPUs, this partnership delivers a truly unique infrastructure model; one that strengthens digital sovereignty, unlocks new economic opportunities, and ensures that the UAE continues to set the benchmark for innovation in the age of AI and Web3.”

Mojtaba Asadian, Founder & CEO of IOPn, commented: “The OPN Chain is the cornerstone of our vision; anchoring sovereign identity, financial infrastructure, real-world asset tokenization, and AI-driven innovation within a unified ecosystem. With NG9 Holding’s partnership and initiatives such as Project ATLAS, we are not simply building technology; we are establishing sovereign-grade digital infrastructure where governments and enterprises can harness the full potential of AI and Web3 on their own terms — secure, compliant, and free from dependency.”

In parallel with this partnership, Gewan Holding has launched the Gewan AI Hub as a platform to support broader AI adoption across industries. Positioned as a complementary initiative, the Hub aligns with the UAE’s wider digital transformation goals while reinforcing the central role of IOPn’s ecosystem, whose flagship projects OPN Chain and Project ATLAS remain at the heart of this sovereign AI partnership.

This collaboration positions the UAE as a gateway for sovereign AI and blockchain adoption, creating scalable solutions that can be replicated globally. Together, Gewan Holding and IOPn will drive cross-border innovation, unlock new investment pathways through tokenized infrastructure and RWAs, and develop future talent via the AI Academy — with further initiatives under Project ATLAS and beyond to be announced in the coming months