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US and UAE agree tech plan as Trump lands in Abu Dhabi

By Valentina Pasquali, Megha Merani, Gavin Gibbon
President Donald Trump met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss US relationships with the country Reuters
Donald Trump met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss US relationships with the country
  • Agreement to handle tech securely
  • Trade and energy discussions expected
  • Multi-billion dollar deals slated

US and Emirati officials agreed a framework to enhance exchanges in advanced technology as Donald Trump arrived in Abu Dhabi on Thursday evening on the third and final leg of his tour of the Gulf.

The deal includes commitments from both sides to ensure the shared technology is handled securely, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed source. Further details about the agreement were not available at the time of writing.

After flying in from Qatar, Trump was welcomed by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The US president said the AI partnership with the UAE will be “special” as he also met with Nvidia CEO Huang.

The private evening at the Royal Palace is expected to involve discussions over trade, technology and energy. 

The evening’s overarching goal is to “fast-track” a $1.4 trillion strategic and investment partnership that the two countries clinched during a visit of Emirati leaders to Washington in March, according to a statement by the UAE’s ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba, that was posted on LinkedIn earlier this week.

Multi-billion dollar deals are scheduled for announcement on Friday before Trump departs for the US.

Advanced US semiconductors played a pivotal role in multiple deals revealed during Trump’s stay in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

US officials there seemingly cleared sales of Nvidia and AMD microchips to the kingdom’s newly created AI developer Humain well above export limits set earlier this year by the previous Joe Biden administration.

The UAE reportedly signed its own interim deal with Washington to purchase 500,000 of the latest Nvidia AI chips a year, starting from now, Reuters said. 

UAE-based technology consultant Carrington Malin said the changes to US AI export controls are being made “because the current administration believes that better processes are needed to facilitate AI exports, rather than trying to restrict the flow of technology”.

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