The White House has announced that US President Donald Trump has secured a $200 billion (Euro 179 billion) deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the final suspension of his Persian Gulf tour. The transaction highlights artificial intelligence (AI), along with investments in aviation, energy and other industrial sectors.
Following a $600 billion (EUR 536 billion) deal with Saudi Arabia and a $243 billion (EUR 217 billion) deal with Qatar, Trump has signed an investment pledge of totaling $1.4 trillion (EUR 1.3 trillion) in his Middle East trip. Trump’s visit to the Gulf could be seen as a beneficial venture for both parties. While the US president is recruiting foreign investment to help revive domestic manufacturing, the three Gulf countries are keen to accelerate AI development and diversify their economies from oil dependence.
The UAE will build the largest AI campus outside the US
The UAE Centrepiece is a 10-square-mile AI campus in Abu Dhabi and has a 5 gigawatt capacity for an AI data center. The facility will be built by G42, a UAE-based AI company, in collaboration with several US companies.
“The largest non-US AI campuses host American hyperscalers and large corporations, enabling regional computing power while serving the global South,” the US Department of Commerce (DOC).
According to Bloomberg, Trump was considering a deal that would allow the UAE to import up to 500,000 Nvidia’s high-performance H100 GPUs each year until 2027. A fifth of these chips are allocated to the G42.
On Tuesday, Trump also signed a $80 billion (71 billion euro) AI investment agreement with Saudi Arabia, helping to raise NVIDIA and other major US tech stocks.
However, some US authorities fear that China will gain indirect access to sophisticated American AI chips through Gulf countries, even though the contract includes safeguards.
“The United Arab Emirates is committed to protecting advanced AI technologies by implementing strict measures to prevent detours and ensure controlled access,” Doc said in a media release.
“This agreement is a major milestone in achieving President Trump’s vision for US AI control,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard W. Lutnick.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced the agreement along with Trump, calling the deal “a testament to the continued cooperation of our countries in artificial intelligence.”
Other major transactions
Boeing and GE Aerospace have also signed a contract with Etihad Airways, a national airline in the United Arab Emirates. Etihad promises a $14.5 billion investment (Euro 13.1 billion) to purchase 28 widebody aircraft, including 787 and 777X models with GE engines.
Both companies were the biggest winners from Trump’s regional tour. Just a day ago, Boeing signed an order of $96 billion with Qatar Airways. Boeing’s stocks rose to a 52-week high, but GE Aerospace’s stocks have approached the market on May 15th since 2001 to reach its highest level.
In the energy sector, US giants, including Exxonmobil Corp., Occidental Petroleum Corp. and EOG Resources Inc., will partner with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to expand oil and gas production on a $60 billion (EUR 5.4 billion) contract.
Additional agreements include Emirates’ global aluminum and aluminum smelting and gallium production projects.
