U.S. Authorises Export of Advanced Semiconductors to Saudi and UAE
The U.S Commerce Department has approved the export of advanced AI chips—equal to 35,000 NVIDIA Blackwell units—to two companies in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“Both companies are receiving approvals to purchase the equivalent of up to 35,000 Nvidia Blackwell chips (GB300s),” the Commerce Department said . A total of 35,000 Blackwell’s are worth an estimated $1 billion, but prices vary.
“The approvals are conditioned on both companies meeting rigorous security and reporting requirements,” the Commerce Department said.
Earlier in the day Humain, a government-backed Saudi AI firm, said it planned to purchase 6,00,000 Nvidia AI chips by HUMAIN.
HUMAIN and Elon Musk’s xAI plan to jointly develop data centres in Saudi Arabia, including a 500 megawatt facility.
The UAE hailed the decision as "another milestone" in its partnership with the U.S.
"The authorization follows sustained engagement between both governments and reflects the confidence that underpins our collaboration in advanced technology and national security," UAE ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba added.
G42, an Emirati state-linked tech firm that is driving the development of its artificial intelligence industry, intends to build one of the world's largest data center hubs in the United Arab Emirates with U.S. technology.
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Commenting on the announcement, Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE ambassador to the U.S., said, “The White House’s decision to authorize U.S. chip exports to the UAE marks another milestone in the trusted and enduring partnership between our two nations. The authorization follows sustained engagement between both governments and reflects the confidence that underpins our collaboration in advanced technology and national security. The UAE–U.S. AI and technology partnership announced in May continues to advance joint industrial and digital infrastructure goals.”
He added that UAE investments in U.S. data centers, AI and energy systems, semiconductor fabrication, advanced manufacturing and critical minerals form part of a long-term strategy to strengthen capacity and resilience in both countries.
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Access to advanced U.S. technology supports ongoing collaboration between leading global technology partners, including G42, Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, OpenAI, NVIDIA, AMD and Cerebras.
Al Otaiba added that the U.S.–UAE AI Campus remains on schedule, with the first phase of Stargate UAE under development. These efforts expand secure compute capacity and reinforce the depth of U.S.–UAE cooperation in critical AI infrastructure.
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“Together, we are collaboratively setting a new ‘Gold Standard’ for securing AI models, chips, data and access. The UAE and the United States have built a durable partnership over many decades, grounded in trust and shared strategic interests. Technology and AI cooperation form the next phase of this relationship and will continue to support long-term stability, innovation, job creation and economic growth in both countries,” he added.