During President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the United States has decided to strengthen channels for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to acquire advanced artificial intelligence chips, highlighting the growing importance of artificial intelligence in global geopolitics.
The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues to reshape the global economy and geopolitical landscape. As countries vie for technological advantages, the allocation and control of AI resources have become important diplomatic tools. High-value AI infrastructure and expertise have become critical assets, leveraging influence in global affairs. By facilitating Saudi Arabia’s access to AI chips, the United States aims to build strategic partnerships, promote innovation, and maintain a competitive edge against China.
At the Saudi-US Investment Forum held in Riyadh on Tuesday (May 13), Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced that Nvidia would provide high-end chips to Humain, a newly established AI company in Saudi Arabia, for its 500-megawatt data center construction. Nvidia is expected to deliver an initial batch of 18,000 high-end chips.
Humain was officially unveiled on Monday (May 12) and is backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, focusing on developing data centers, AI infrastructure, and large-scale Arabic language models.
On the same day, AMD also announced at the Saudi-US Investment Forum that they would provide chips and software for a data center project spanning from Saudi Arabia to the United States, with an investment of $10 billion.
Export of these high-end AI chips requires approval from the US government. Saudi Arabia mandates that personal and financial data must be stored locally, prompting multinational corporations to establish data centers in the country. Amazon pledged to invest $10 billion in constructing data centers in the country, while Google and Oracle also announced their data center investment plans in 2024.
The US decision to support Saudi Arabia’s AI capabilities can be seen as a strategic move to strengthen allies, maintain influence in the Middle East, and counter China’s emerging tech influence.