US, UAE unveil multi-trillion dollars AI, aviation, energy deals as Trump visit

In the final leg of a high-stakes Gulf tour, Donald Trump, United States president, arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday following earlier visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. His stop in Abu Dhabi culminated in a raft of multi-billion-dollar agreements spanning artificial intelligence, aviation, energy and data infrastructure—totalling what he claimed to be $10 trillion in value.

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AI and technology dominate talks

At the heart of the announcements was a  pledge from the UAE to invest $1.4 trillion in the United States’ artificial intelligence sector over the next decade. The investment will be channelled into a broad partnership encompassing research, infrastructure and semiconductor procurement.

“This will generate billions and billions of dollars in business and accelerate the UAE’s plans to become a really major player in artificial intelligence,” said Trump, speaking alongside UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “I have absolutely no doubt that the relationship will only get bigger and better.”

The deal includes a commitment by the UAE to build what is set to become the largest AI campus outside the United States. In turn, the Gulf nation will gain expanded access to advanced American AI chips—technology previously withheld over concerns about potential transfers to China.

The White House confirmed that part of the agreement obliges the UAE to fund and construct data centres on US soil that match or exceed the scale of those in the Gulf. It also stressed that the accord features “strong protections to prevent the diversion of US-origin technology”.

Nvidia and microchip diplomacy

While specifics on the chipsets involved were not disclosed, the presence of Jensen Huang , Nvidia chief executive  in discussions with Trump and Sheikh Mohamed underscored the strategic weight of the microchip component. The US has increasingly restricted the export of cutting-edge semiconductors to geopolitical rivals, making the agreement with the UAE particularly significant.

Read also: Trump deepens US-Saudi ties, secures $600bn Saudi investment deal

Major commercial wins for US firms

Among the commercial windfalls from the visit was a $14.5 billion agreement between Boeing and Etihad Airways for 28 new aircraft. The announcement was part of a broader suite of bilateral deals Trump described as “game-changing” for the American economy.

The UAE also committed to joint US-UAE investments worth $440 billion in the energy sector through to 2035. Sultan al-Jaber, chief of the UAE’s state-owned oil company ADNOC, confirmed the figures during a business roundtable in Abu Dhabi.

Strategic alignment and regional diplomacy

Speaking from the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque after touring the landmark with Sheikh Mohamed, Trump praised the deepening alignment between Washington and Abu Dhabi. “Coming to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar was very important to me… because of personal relationships maybe more than anything else,” he said.

The UAE president responded in kind, stating the Gulf country remained “committed to working with the United States to advance peace and stability in our region and globally.”

A symbolic gift and a light-hearted moment

Closing out his visit, Trump recounted a moment of levity when UAE officials presented him with a symbolic box containing a single drop of oil. “This is the highest quality oil there is on the planet. But they only gave me a drop,” he joked, drawing laughter from the audience.

The comment came as a nod to the long-standing energy relationship between the two countries—now increasingly expanding into renewable and AI-linked energy technology.

A return to the region after four ‘absent’ years

Trump also took aim at his predecessor Joe Biden’s foreign policy, stating that the US had been “absent” from the Gulf for four years. “We’re back now, and the friendships are stronger than ever,” he said.

The flurry of deals and diplomatic fanfare signals a recalibrated relationship with the Gulf—underpinned by strategic tech partnerships and fuelled by shared geopolitical interests in a rapidly changing world.