US considers easing of chip export restrictions on UAE

• UAE seeks more semiconductors
• Lobbying for more access
• Trump’s Gulf trip is vital

The US is considering easing restrictions on the export of high-end semiconductors to the UAE, Bloomberg reported.

President Donald Trump could announce the start of work on a bilateral chip deal during his upcoming trip to the Gulf, the news service said, without identifying sources.

Nothing has yet been decided but the talks are picking up pace, it said.

The UAE’s national security adviser and deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, travelled to Washington in March to lobby the US to loosen restrictions on chip exports to the Gulf state.

Trump plans to visit the UAE the week after next, as part of a wider trip to the region between May 13 and 16.

That means he will be in the region on May 15 when new, tighter restrictions on US chip exports come into effect.

Under those rules, introduced in January, the UAE is given a “second-tier” designation, meaning that US chip exports to it are limited to 50,000 advanced processors, with more possible in exchange for security commitments.

• Tighter US chip rules offer challenges and opportunities
• Middle East wary of US AI chip export rules
• Microsoft urges rule change on US exports of AI chips to Gulf

Global demand for AI-capable processors has rocketed, with the microchips also becoming a hotly contested geopolitical resource given their importance to advanced and consumer technologies.

The US government has required a license to export Nvidia chips to the UAE and other Gulf nations since 2023, over concerns that the hardware could be diverted to China.

The UAE has worked hard to mitigate those concerns by partnering with US companies like Microsoft and divesting from Chinese companies.