The US has authorised the export of Nvidia's powerful AI chips to UAE artificial intelligence company G42 and Saudi tech start-up Humain, it said on Wednesday.
Both companies can purchase the equivalent of up to 35,000 of Nvidia's Blackwell chips (GB300s), the Commerce Department said. G42 and Humain must meet rigorous security and reporting requirements, it added.
The approval is seen as a significant moment for the UAE and Saudi Arabia as part of their broader diversification efforts.
“The White House’s decision to authorise US chip exports to the UAE marks another milestone in the trusted and enduring partnership between our two nations,” said Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Minister of State and the country's long-standing ambassador to the US.
“The authorisation follows sustained engagement between both governments and reflects the confidence that underpins our collaboration in advanced technology and national security.”
UAE ambitions receive major boost
The announcement falls under bilateral deals the US has made with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. In March, the UAE pledged to spend $1.4 trillion in the US as part of a broader technology investment framework. In May, the UAE announced plans to launch a 5 gigawatt UAE-US AI Campus during President Donald Trump's visit to the country.
The move marks a "pivotal transition from planning to deployment" on AI between the UAE and the US, G42 said.
It will accelerate the development of projects such as Stargate UAE, the 1GW AI compute cluster being built by G42, OpenAI, Oracle, Cisco, Nvidia and SoftBank Group, the company said. The project is part of the larger campus. When completed, the campus and AI data centre are expected to be among the largest computing infrastructure projects in the world.
The move also supports the expansion of technology collaborations with US hyperscalers and chipmakers, including Microsoft, AMD, Qualcomm and Cerebras, G42 said.
"What we build in the UAE, we will continue to match in the US, maintaining symmetry and trust at every layer," said Peng Xiao, chief executive of G42.
The export licence is seen as a landmark moment for the UAE's growing AI ambitions as the country seeks to become a major global centre for the technology.
Technology experts say the chips from California-based Nvidia are critical for building the computing capacity needed for AI infrastructure, which in turn can increase the speed of training AI large language models.
In recent years, debate has grown over technology export policy, with some pushing for the US to make sure that chips created by American companies are not used by countries like China.
The UAE, a long-time US ally, has sought to reassure White House officials that it has security processes in place to prevent US chip technology from being co-opted or stolen.
The country’s affinity for research into tech and AI has resulted in the establishment of start-ups, partnerships and investments from industry leaders including Microsoft, Nvidia and OpenAI.
In 2019, the UAE announced the establishment of a university dedicated to the tech, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.
Two years earlier, the Emirates was among the first countries in the world to appoint an AI minister, Omar Al Olama, who is now Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications.
Chips approval tops Humain's AI deals
The approval of Nvidia chips capped a major day for Humain, the tech start-up backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The company, a significant part of the kingdom's own ambitions to become a global AI exporter, announced a series of AI deals earlier on Wednesday during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Washington.
Among those agreements was a plan to purchase 600,000 Nvidia AI chips to use across new data centres in Saudi Arabia and the US. Humain said it marked its first major AI infrastructure in the US.
Humain also announced separate agreements with US-based companies including a joint venture to deliver up to 1 gigawatt of AI infrastructure by 2030 with AMD and Cisco. Adobe and Qualcomm also struck a deal with the Saudi tech company to create content in Arab using Humain's large language model Allam.
The US also signed a strategic AI partnership with Saudi Arabia that will include the supply of advanced semiconductors.
The deals followed an increased investment pledge announced by Prince Mohammed on Tuesday from $600 billion to $1 trillion.
The UAE's journey to space
FIGHT CARD
From 5.30pm in the following order:
Featherweight
Marcelo Pontes (BRA) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) v Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Welterweight
Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR) v Gimbat Ismailov (RUS)
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) v Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (BEL) v Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
Catchweight 100kg
Mohamed Ali (EGY) v Marc Vleiger (NED)
Featherweight
James Bishop (AUS) v Mark Valerio (PHI)
Welterweight
Gerson Carvalho (BRA) v Abdelghani Saber (EGY)
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) v Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Bantamweight:
Fabio Mello (BRA) v Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magemedsultanov (RUS)
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) v Jayson Margallo (PHI)
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Roman Golovinov (UKR)
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
Company%20profile
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The%20specs
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Company%20Profile
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Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey'
Rating: 3/5
Directors: Ramin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, Guillermo Navarro
Writers: Walter Mosley
Stars: Samuel L Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Walton Goggins
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
Napoleon
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Ridley%20Scott%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Joaquin%20Phoenix%2C%20Vanessa%20Kirby%2C%20Tahar%20Rahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
