US affirms 'ironclad' commitments in UAE AI Agreement
First US-UAE working group meeting addresses chip export framework
#UAE #bilaterals – US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg and UAE Minister of Investment His Excellency Mohamed Al Suwaidi chaired the first interagency meeting of the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership Working Group on 26 March, bringing together senior representatives from the US Departments of State, Commerce, Energy, War and Treasury, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and UAE government and company officials.
The United States stressed that its commitments in the bilateral AI agreement are ironclad, including continued UAE access to US-origin AI chips with demonstrable security compliance, whilst the UAE reaffirmed its $1.4 trillion US investment commitment announced last May. The meeting focused on deepening cooperation, establishing clear expectations, and ensuring transparency and alignment on export controls, investment screening and technology protection measures needed to unlock advanced AI chip exports to the UAE.
SO WHAT? – This first working group meeting demonstrates operational implementation of the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership signed in May 2025 during the visit of President Donald J. Trump to the UAE. The discussion has now moved beyond framework agreements to concrete engagement on export licensing, investment flows and security protocols. The US reaffirmation of ironclad commitments during a period of regional instability signals Washington’s strategic prioritisation of UAE technology cooperation, whilst recognition of G42’s Regulated Technology Environment as a gold-standard framework establishes precedents for how other countries might structure trusted technology partnerships with the US.
Here are some key points about the working group meeting:
The first interagency meeting of the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership Working Group took place on 26 March, chaired by US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg and UAE Minister of Investment H.E. Mohamed Al Suwaidi, with senior officials from multiple US departments and UAE government and companies participating.
The United States stressed that its commitments in the bilateral AI agreement are ironclad, including continued UAE access to US-origin AI chips with demonstrable security compliance, reaffirming that the United States will continue to uphold these commitments despite regional instability.
The UAE reiterated that it stands by its $1.4 trillion US investment commitment announced in May 2025, with UAE entities already deploying significant capital into US-based digital infrastructure at scale even amid regional tensions.
The US side acknowledged progress made by Abu Dhabi-based AI company G42 in building its operational Regulated Technology Environment, which both sides regard as a gold-standard framework for managing sensitive technologies. The environment is being developed in line with jointly agreed security and governance requirements, including US cybersecurity standards such as NIST SP 800-53, for use across the US-led Pax Silica initiative.
G42 and its US partners are exploring a common operating picture (COP) as an additional mechanism within the Regulated Technology Environment to support greater transparency, assurance and operational coordination for managing advanced technology deployments.
US Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson emphasised during a guest presentation that the US-UAE partnership is highly valued in Congress and strategic for both nations, highlighting the importance of trusted partners to US efforts to maintain AI leadership and compete with China.
The Working Group provides a platform to position the United States as the UAE’s AI partner of choice, serving as a venue to deepen cooperation and ensure alignment on export controls, investment screening and technology protection measures.
Both sides will deepen technical exchanges on implementation of export control and investment screening regulations, including G42’s common operating picture initiatives, whilst discussing options to improve licensing predictability and operationalise follow-on engagement at working level.
ZOOM OUT – The US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership agreement signed in May 2025 includes plans to establish a regional artificial intelligence technology cluster in Abu Dhabi with 5GW capacity, which would be the largest AI data centre deployment outside the United States. Abu Dhabi-based AI company G42 is leading design and construction of the facility spanning 10 square miles in partnership with US companies including OpenAI, NVIDIA, Oracle and Cisco. The strategic location will enable US hyperscalers to provide low-latency services to nearly half the global population living within 3,200 kilometres of the UAE. The agreement reportedly allows the UAE to import 500,000 advanced Nvidia AI chips per annum, with G42 receiving 20 per cent of the quota. G42 and Saudi Arabia’s national AI company HUMAIN, both received US approvals in November 2025 to purchase the equivalent of up to 35,000 NVIDIA Blackwell chips.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
LINK
U.S.-UAE AI Working Group Meeting 26-Mar-26 (US Dept. State)
Read more about the US-UAE AI partnership:
US approves billions in Nvidia UAE sales (Middle East AI News)
Tech leaders unite to build Stargate UAE AI hub (Middle East AI News)
New US-UAE agreement sure to accelerate G42’s US plans (Middle East AI News)
UAE-US to launch AI cluster with 5GW data centre (Middle East AI News)