During his Gulf trip, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to deliver a speech to troops in Qatar before heading to the United Arab Emirates, where a major deal on artificial intelligence chips is taking center stage. The U.S. has reached a preliminary agreement to allow the UAE to import 500,000 advanced AI chips from Nvidia annually, aiming to boost the country’s AI development and data center construction.
However, this deal has raised national security concerns within parts of the U.S. government, with potential changes to the terms still possible. The chip agreement follows a series of significant business deals during Trump’s visit, including Qatar Airways’ order for Boeing jets and Saudi Arabia’s large-scale investments and arms purchases.
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The trip has also seen diplomatic moves such as the U.S. lifting sanctions on Syria and meetings with regional leaders. AI cooperation with the UAE signals a shift from the previous Biden administration’s stricter export controls, reflecting Trump’s focus on strengthening Gulf ties and positioning the region as a key player in global AI competition.
Trump had considered joining Russia-Ukraine talks in Turkey but will return directly to Washington. The Gulf visit underscores U.S. ambitions to deepen strategic and technological partnerships in the Middle East.
