US tech giants strike major AI deals in the Middle East amid Trump’s tour
One of the biggest deals involves chipmaker giant Nvidia, which plans to supply “hundreds of thousands” of AI chips to Saudi Arabia. The initial batch will include 18,000 units of its latest Blackwell processors, which will be delivered to Saudi-backed AI startup, Humain.
Several major US technology companies have announced multi-billion-dollar artificial intelligence (AI) deals in the Middle East, with US President Donald Trump securing a whooping $600 billion in commitments from the region to American firms during his ongoing Gulf tour.
“Today in Saudi Arabia, President Donald J. Trump announced Saudi Arabia’s $600-billion commitment to invest in the United States, building economic ties that will endure for generations to come. The first deals under the announcement strengthen our energy security, defense industry, technology leadership, and access to global infrastructure and critical minerals,” said the White House in a statement.
, AMD, and are among the key firms forming major agreements, reports Reuters.
One of the biggest deals involves chipmaker giant Nvidia, which plans to supply “hundreds of thousands” of AI chips to Saudi Arabia. The initial batch will include 18,000 units of its latest Blackwell processors, which will be delivered to Saudi-backed AI startup, Humain.
“AI, like electricity and the internet, is essential infrastructure for every nation. Together with Humain, we are building AI infrastructure for the people and companies of Saudi Arabia to realize the bold vision of the Kingdom,” said Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, in a statement.
Meanwhile, Cisco has announced a partnership with UAE-based AI firm G42 to support the development of the country’s artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The flow of the investments will be both ways, said the Reuters report.
According to the White House, Saudi Arabia’s DataVolt plans to invest $20 billion in artificial intelligence data centres and energy infrastructure in the United States.
In turn, companies including Google, DataVolt, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD, and Uber are expected to invest a combined $80 billion in emerging technologies across both countries. No further details were disclosed.
NVIDIA’s rival AMD has also announced a $10-billion partnership with Humain. The deal includes hardware provisioning, software support, and development of data centres in both countries, added the report.
"Together, we are building a globally significant AI platform that delivers performance, openness, and reach at unprecedented levels," said Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, in a statement.
In a another development, Alphabet-backed venture capital firm STV has launched a $100-million AI fund targeting early-stage startups across the Middle East and North Africa.
In addition, to deepen defence and security ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia, both nations have signed what is described as the largest defence sales agreement in history, valued at nearly $142 billion.
The deal will see Saudi Arabia acquire advanced warfighting equipment and services from more than a dozen US defence contractors.
The planned sales span five key areas: air force advancement and space capabilities, air and missile defence, maritime and coastal security, border security and land forces modernisation, and information and communication systems upgrades.
Edited by Swetha Kannan