US approves export of Nvidia AI chips to UAE, Saudi 

The US Department of Commerce said on Wednesday that it has authorised the export of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips to two companies in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Abu Dhabi-based tech firm G42 and Public Investment Fund (PIF) subsidiary Humain are both slated to receive American semiconductors, equivalent of up to 35,000 Nvidia Blackwell chips (GB300s).

The approvals are contingent on both companies meeting “rigorous security and reporting requirements”, the commerce department said in a statement. 

The purchase will promote “continued American AI dominance and global technological leadership”, the statement read. 

UAE’s Ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba, welcomed the authorization as  ”another milestone” in the partnership between both nations. 

“The authorization follows sustained engagement between both governments and reflects the confidence that underpins our collaboration in advanced technology and national security," Ambassador Otaiba said in a statement.     

Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G42, said the announcement marks a defining moment for the company and its partners as they segue from planning into execution. 

"Our shared infrastructure model sets a new benchmark for secure, high-performance computing that is designed to serve the needs of both nations. What we build in the UAE, we will continue to match in the US, maintaining symmetry and trust at every layer," added Xiao. 

The milestone accelerates foundational projects already underway in the UAE, including Stargate UAE, the 1GW AI compute cluster. 

The cluster forms part of the UAE–US AI Campus, an AI infrastructure hub that will include 5GW of capacity for AI data centres in Abu Dhabi, enabling US hyperscalers to offer latency-friendly services to companies operating within 2,000 miles of the UAE. 

Humain announced early Wednesday that it would deploy up to 600,000 Nvidia's AI chips in Saudi Arabia and the US over the next three years.