Trump to Host Top UAE Official for Chips, Investment Talks

Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser and brother of the nation’s president, is slated to speak to Trump about a range of issues, such as increasing Emirati investment in the US, technology and energy, according to people familiar with the meeting who requested anonymity because it was not publicly announced. 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The UAE is pushing to buy cutting-edge chips from companies including Nvidia Corp. as part of a bid to become a regional powerhouse for artificial intelligence. While Abu Dhabi has poured massive amounts of capital into data centers used to train AI models, its ambitions have been limited by restrictions on exports of advanced chips put into place in 2023 under former President Joe Biden.

Biden also proposed new regulations capping the sale of advanced chips during his final days in office. Trump’s team is currently evaluating whether to implement the curbs. 

People familiar with Sheikh Tahnoon’s plans ahead of his travel said he would seek easier access to chips and highlight the UAE’s plans for tech infrastructure built on American soil. That includes funding from Abu Dhabi-based MGX for a $100 billion AI infrastructure venture that Trump unveiled during his first week in office. 

MGX is part of Sheikh Tahnoon’s sprawling $1.5 trillion empire, which spans from wealth funds to the AI company G42 — the crown jewel of the UAE’s tech ambitions. He serves as chairman of those ventures, as well as the private investment firm Royal Group and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Vice President JD Vance said earlier Tuesday at a tech summit that the administration is “thrilled” to have an Emirati delegation in Washington and hailed the nation as a viable AI partner.

“One of the things they consistently hammer upon — it’s something that unfortunately too few of our European allies tend to get — is that if you want to lead in artificial intelligence, you’ve got to be leading in energy production,” Vance said. 

With assistance from Mackenzie Hawkins, Jenny Leonard, Ben Bartenstein and Hadriana Lowenkron.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.