American Tech giant, Oracle opens its first African R&D Lab in Morocco
Oracle, the world’s largest database management company, has announced the opening of a new facility of its Oracle Labs in Casablanca’s Casanearshore Park in the Kingdom of Morocco.
Oracle’s first lab in Africa results from the collaboration between the company and its Moroccan partners – the Moroccan government and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P).
Oracle Lab, the company’s advanced research arm, will run the research center directly. The facility will hasten Morocco’s digital transformation and position the country as a leader in the digitization of African economies. In addition, the corporation intends to use Morocco’s thriving technology industry “to help the identification, exploration, and transfer of innovative technologies that can enhance Oracle’s customers’ businesses around the world,” according to a statement from the company.
The lab is part of Oracle’s global R&D innovation network, which conducts research, consultancy, and product incubation. The majority of projects incorporate university collaborators and interns from more than 50 universities worldwide.
Leveraging this facility, Oracle’s team will collaborate with Morocco’s vibrant technology sector to support the identification, exploration, and transfer of new technologies that can advance Oracle’s customer’s businesses worldwide. This effort will include expanding intern and graduate recruitment programs, undertaking joint research with local universities, and working with the local startup ecosystem so they can be part of this global program.
Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle
Safra Catz, Chief Executive Officer, Oracle, gave reasons for the choice of Morocco in setting up the lab. “Oracle’s Investment in Morocco reflects the improved economic environment we see among the signatories of the Abraham Accords, the monumental agreement that is forging peace and prosperity across the region. Establishing this new Oracle R&D center in Casablanca will enable us to access an amazing pool of talent from across the region, benefit directly from its new economic ties to Israel, and provide our customers worldwide with new cutting-edge technologies.”
Mohcine Jazouli, Morocco’s Minister Delegate in charge of Investment, convergence, and the evaluation of Public Policies, expressed delight in the project and stressed how the R&D lab would benefit Moroccans. “We are delighted that Oracle has selected Morocco as the location for expanding its global R&D program. This expansion into Morocco allows talented people in Morocco to help create world-leading technology solutions. We hope the lab is the first step towards placing Morocco at the heart of Oracle’s business in the region.”
“The mission of Oracle Labs is to identify, explore, and transfer new technologies that have the potential to help solve the world’s biggest challenges. In addition to their outstanding technical skills, most engineers in Morocco speak three languages and bring an open-minded and creative approach to their work. This makes them ideal team members focused on developing technology that will play a significant role in our rapidly evolving, global society,” Dr. Hassan Chafi, Vice President of Research and Advanced Development, Oracle Labs, added.
The lab will work on a variety of R&D initiatives, including automated Machine Learning and Explainability and the PGX Parallel Graph Accelerator solution.
Multinational firms, particularly tech companies, are growing interested in the African market, as Visa, Google, and Microsoft have made significant investments in the continent in recent years. Several things contributed to this new attraction, but the most important was Africa’s youthful population and largely untapped market.
The lab will tap into more local tech talent, speed up Africa’s digital transformation, digitalize its economies, and position the continent to compete more effectively globally.