Commerce Department Authorizes Export Of Advanced AI Chips To Companies In UAE, Saudi Arabia

Authored by Jacob Burg via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on Nov. 19 that it had authorized exporting tens of thousands of American advanced artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor chips to two companies in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

The microchips will go to G42, a state-run AI company in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, and Humain, a Saudi government-backed AI business. Both companies have large data center projects planned in each of their respective nations.

The announcement came a day after Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in the United States for the first time since 2018 and is reflective of both countries’ interests in developing AI technology.

“Both companies are receiving approvals to purchase the equivalent of up to 35,000 Nvidia Blackwell chips (GB300s),” the Commerce Department said in a statement.

“These approvals will promote continued American AI dominance and global technological leadership—consistent with President Trump’s July 2025 AI Action Plan.”

A purchase of 35,000 Blackwell chips is estimated to be worth $1 billion, although prices vary.

“The approvals are conditioned on both companies meeting rigorous security and reporting requirements,” the Commerce Department said, adding that its “Bureau of Industry and Security is engaging with the companies regarding these requirements and will monitor compliance on an ongoing basis.”

The agency said that beyond its announcement on Wednesday, it will continue supporting the export of the American AI technology stack to “Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other allies and partners around the globe.”

Humain said earlier in the day that it planned to buy 600,000 Nvidia AI semiconductors.

The company plans to jointly build data centers, which will include a 500 megawatt facility, in Saudi Arabia alongside Elon Musk’s xAI.

G42, a leader in the UAE’s AI industry, is planning to construct one of the largest data centers in the world in the country with American technology.

It is receiving help from technology companies Nvidia, OpenAI, Cisco, and Oracle, alongside Japan’s SoftBank, to complete the first phase set to go online in 2026, known as Stargate UAE.

Trump Touts Saudi Investments

While meeting with the crown prince in the White House on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States and Saudi Arabia had inked $270 billion in new business deals in energy, AI, finance, and aerospace.

On Nov. 19, oil giant Saudi Aramco said it had signed 17 memoranda of understanding and agreements with U.S. companies worth more than $30 billion. The projects span liquefied natural gas, financial services, advanced materials manufacturing, and procurement of materials and services, the company said.

Additionally, GE Aerospace will supply dozens of airplane engines for Boeing 787 Dreamliners owned by Saudi Arabia’s leading air carrier Saudia.