U.S. President Donald Trump wrapped up his tour of the Gulf with a major economic agreement, securing $200 billion (€179 billion) in deals with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including the construction of the largest artificial intelligence (AI) campus outside the United States.
Announced by the White House during Trump’s final stop in the region, the wide-ranging package features significant investments in AI, aviation, energy, and heavy industry. The UAE deal follows similar agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, bringing the total investment pledges from Trump’s Middle East visit to $1.4 trillion (€1.3 trillion).
At the heart of the UAE deal is a planned 10-square-mile AI campus in Abu Dhabi. The facility, expected to deliver 5 gigawatts of computing power, will be developed by UAE-based AI firm G42 in partnership with U.S. technology companies. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the campus will host American tech giants and support computing capacity for the wider Global South.
As part of the broader technology push, Bloomberg reported that discussions are underway to allow the UAE to import up to 500,000 high-performance Nvidia H100 chips annually through 2027, with 20% of them designated for G42.
“This agreement marks a major milestone in President Trump’s strategy to maintain U.S. leadership in AI,” said Commerce Secretary Howard W. Lutnick. Despite concerns among some U.S. officials about potential indirect access to advanced AI technologies by China, the agreements reportedly include strict controls to prevent unauthorized technology transfers.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan called the deal “a testament to the ongoing collaboration between our countries in artificial intelligence.”
Alongside AI, the UAE also committed to a $14.5 billion (€13.1 billion) aircraft order with Boeing and GE Aerospace. The deal involves the purchase of 28 widebody jets by Etihad Airways, including Boeing 787 and 777X models equipped with GE engines.
The UAE agreement builds on momentum from earlier in the week, when Boeing secured a $96 billion deal with Qatar Airways, helping push the aerospace giant’s stock to a 52-week high.
In the energy sector, ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum, and EOG Resources will partner with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in a $60 billion (€54 billion) project to boost oil and gas output. Additional agreements include initiatives with Emirates Global Aluminum to enhance aluminium and gallium production.
Trump’s Gulf visit underscored a shift toward economic diplomacy, aligning U.S. technology and industrial interests with Gulf nations’ goals to diversify their economies beyond oil.
