U.S. approves AI chip exports to Saudi and UAE tech firms
The United States has approved the sale of advanced Nvidia chips to Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN and the United Arab Emirates’ G42, allowing the state-backed companies to purchase up to 35,000 units valued at about $1 billion, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The U.S. Commerce Department confirmed the decision on Wednesday, saying the exports were authorized under strict security and reporting requirements overseen by the Bureau of Industry and Security. The move represents a shift from earlier restrictions aimed at preventing American technology from indirectly reaching China through third countries in the Gulf.
The approval comes after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Washington this week. During the trip, Saudi Arabia increased its investment pledge in the United States to $1 trillion, up from the $600 billion originally announced during President Donald Trump’s Gulf tour in May.
At a U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, HUMAIN announced a wide range of new partnerships with U.S. and global technology firms, including Adobe, Qualcomm, AMD, Cisco, GlobalAI, Groq, Luma, and xAI. The Saudi company, backed by the Public Investment Fund, also unveiled plans with Elon Musk’s xAI to build a 500-megawatt data center in the Kingdom.
HUMAIN CEO Tareq Amin said the company plans to rapidly scale its infrastructure next year and position Saudi Arabia among the world’s leading AI hubs.
Analysts note that both HUMAIN and G42 have the investment capacity and established partnerships with U.S. firms to scale regional computing infrastructure. Two weeks earlier, Microsoft secured its own export license for advanced chips to the UAE, where G42 is a key partner.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House.