On the 15th, UAE President Mohammed met with visiting US President Trump in Abu Dhabi, where they reached agreements totaling more than $200 billion (approximately 854.2 billion Malaysian Ringgit), including strengthening cooperation in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The agreements cover cooperation in aviation, aluminum, oil, and gas sectors, and the two sides also discussed regional and international situations. Earlier that day, the leaders of both countries attended the launch ceremony of a 5 gigawatt (GW) AI project in Abu Dhabi.
According to a statement issued by the White House on the 15th, the US and UAE signed economic agreements worth over $200 billion, enhancing cooperation in aviation, energy, rare earth, and AI sectors.
The statement mentioned that Etihad Airways of the UAE committed to investing $14.5 billion in purchasing 28 Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" and Boeing 777X aircraft, and Emirates Global Aluminum will invest $4 billion to develop a smelting plant project in Oklahoma, USA. Moreover, Raytheon Company will engage in a collaboration project involving gallium with the UAE. Additionally, several American companies will collaborate with the UAE in fields such as semiconductors, cybersecurity, cloud services, and AI development.
● Concerns Among Anti-China Hawks
The series of AI agreements signed during Trump's visit has caused divisions within the administration. Anti-China hawks worry about the Middle East's close relationship with Beijing, which could endanger US national security and economic interests.
According to Bloomberg, Trump’s team has reached agreements with parties in Saudi Arabia to assist them in purchasing a large number of semiconductors from NVIDIA and AMD, with accelerator shipments to the UAE possibly exceeding one million, mainly used for programs involving American companies or their subsidiaries. These chips are instrumental for developing and training models mimicking human intelligence, making them highly coveted in the AI era.
Insiders revealed that some senior US government officials are seeking to slow down the progress of these agreements, fearing that the US has not implemented sufficient protective measures to prevent American chips shipped to the Persian Gulf from ultimately benefiting China, given China’s close ties with countries in the region.