The United Arab Emirates and the United States have signed an agreement for the Gulf country to build the largest artificial intelligence campus outside the United States, a type of deal that previously faced restrictions over Washington’s concerns that China could access the technology.
The countries did not say which AI chips from Nvidia or other companies could be included in UAE data centres, but sources had said a deal would give the Gulf country expanded access to advanced AI chips.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang was seen in televised footage talking to US President Donald Trump and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan at a palace in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Such a long-coveted deal, finalised during Trump’s visit to Abu Dhabi on Thursday, is a major win for the UAE, which has been trying to balance its relations with its long-time ally the US and its largest trading partner China.
It reflects the Trump administration’s confidence that the chips can be managed securely, in part by requiring data centres be managed by US companies.
The UAE, a major oil producer, has been spending billions of dollars in a push to become a global AI player. But its ties to China had limited access to US chips under former President Joe Biden.
