Oracle Opens Research Lab In Morocco

Oracle on Tuesday announced it will establish a new branch of Oracle Labs, Oracle’s advanced research arm, at Casanearshore Park in Casablanca to house up to 100 researchers.

In a press release, the company said researchers at the new facility will use its cloud, AI, and machine learning technologies to tackle the most pressing challenges facing business, science and the public sector.

“Taking advantage of its new state-of-the-art facility, the 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,” the company said.

Safra Catz, Chief Executive Officer, Oracle said, “The 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 centre in Casablanca will enable us to access an outstanding pool of talent from across the region, benefit directly from its new economic ties to Israel, and provide our customers around the world with new cutting-edge technologies,”

“We are delighted that Oracle has selected Morocco as the location for the expansion of its global R&D program. This provides the opportunity for 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,” said Mohcine Jazouli, Morocco’s Minister Delegate in charge of Investment, convergence and the evaluation of Public Policies.

“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,” said Dr Hassan Chafi, Vice President Research and Advanced Development, Oracle Labs. “In addition to their outstanding technology skills, most engineers in Morocco speak three languages and bring an open-minded and creative approach to their work. This makes them ideal members of a team focused on developing technology that will play a significant role in our rapidly evolving, global society.”

The new Oracle facility will be part of Oracle’s global R&D innovation network. In these centres, researchers apply novel approaches and methodologies using cloud-based technologies to create meaningful solutions. This work includes research, consulting, and product incubation with most projects involving university collaborations and interns from over 50 universities worldwide.

The new Oracle centre in Morocco will work on a wide range of R&D projects focusing on technologies such as automated Machine Learning and Explainability, the PGX Parallel Graph Accelerator solution, and Oracle’s MySQL Heatwave ML.