The United States and the United Arab Emirates are strengthening their alliance in artificial intelligence, combining U.S. chip expertise with the UAE’s abundant energy and capital to accelerate global AI dominance. This deepening partnership, involving major firms like Nvidia, Microsoft, OpenAI, and UAE-based G42 and MGX, has already secured investments worth hundreds of billions of dollars. During President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the Gulf, over $200 billion in AI and tech deals were signed, reinforcing the UAE’s role as a key player in the AI race.
A highlight of this collaboration is the planned Stargate UAE AI campus, a $500 billion initiative backed by OpenAI, Nvidia, and others, set to launch in Abu Dhabi by 2026. The project promises access to advanced American AI chips and cloud infrastructure, a major shift enabled by the Trump administration’s plan to roll back restrictions on AI chip exports to friendly nations. This move aims to expand U.S. tech influence while curbing China’s progress in the sector.
The UAE has fully aligned with U.S. AI ambitions, distancing itself from Chinese partnerships by divesting from firms like ByteDance. Local firms, including G42, have committed to working with U.S. tech giants to build the infrastructure necessary for developing AI models, such as Falcon AI. The UAE’s strategy is to become a leading provider of computational power and AI services for emerging markets.
Experts say this marks a turning point in U.S.-Gulf relations, shifting from oil to AI as the core focus. The UAE is leveraging this to enhance its geopolitical role, aiming to become a global AI hub capable of supporting large-scale language models and services in underserved regions. This alliance also gives the U.S. a strategic advantage in its technological rivalry with China.
