US Plans UAE Import Over Million Nvidia AI Chips

The Trump administration is negotiating a deal that would permit the United Arab Emirates to import over a million advanced Nvidia AI chips, specifically the cutting-edge H100 and Blackwell models, significantly exceeding the export limits imposed under the Biden administration. Approximately one-fifth of these chips would be allocated to Abu Dhabi’s AI company G42, with the remainder intended for U.S. companies establishing data centers in the Gulf region, including OpenAI. Similarly, a related agreement with Saudi Arabia involves the supply of hundreds of thousands of Nvidia Blackwell chips to the Saudi state AI company Humain, alongside a $600 billion investment pledge aligned with Saudi Vision 2030, with U.S. oversight on data centers to prevent leaks to China. These developments represent a strategic shift in U.S. policy toward Middle Eastern partners, easing restrictions on AI hardware exports while maintaining controls on data access. Nvidia’s stock has reacted positively, rising over 6% amid expectations of increased demand from the Gulf region offsetting declines from China. The agreements underscore a broader U.S. strategy to deepen economic and technological ties with Gulf countries while safeguarding AI technologies from adversarial access.