Yousef Al Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates’ minister of state and ambassador to the United States, said its $1.4 trillion U.S. investment commitment is ahead of first-year targets, without disclosing the benchmarks.
In an Oct. 19 letter to the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, Al Otaiba put UAE spending and investment across U.S. technology, businesses and energy projects in the hundreds of billions of dollars. The letter listed projects and dollar figures but did not show how they add up to the claimed hundreds of billions of dollars. The White House describes the $1.4 trillion figure as a 10-year commitment spanning artificial intelligence infrastructure, semiconductors, energy and other sectors.
The investment claim comes after a July 10 change to U.S. export rules. The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security added the UAE to Country Group A:5, allowing government entities and companies identified under the rule to receive eligible advanced computing equipment and other controlled items without individual export licenses. Recipients must meet the rule’s conditions.
The bureau estimated the change would reduce license applications by about 50 a year. Qualifying UAE recipients and U.S. suppliers stand to face fewer licensing delays, while recordkeeping requirements remain.
The technology partnership includes a planned 5-gigawatt AI campus in Abu Dhabi, whose first phase is a 1-gigawatt data center, the Commerce Department said. A June 5 UAE Embassy update projected that the campus’s first 500 megawatts would come online by the end of 2026. The White House said the UAE also pledged to support U.S. data centers that match or exceed the size and computing capacity of those in the UAE.
Al Otaiba cited another planned venture: UAE-based Space42 and U.S. company Viasat Inc. agreed in September to establish satellite company Equatys. The companies said their combined equity contributions could reach $1 billion after the venture is formed and closing conditions are met.
Al Otaiba said regional conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had strained the economy, while UAE investment plans continued. He pointed to safeguards in the 2009 U.S.-UAE civilian nuclear agreement as a precedent for cooperation involving sensitive technology.
The business council plans an infrastructure trade mission in November, Al Otaiba said. His letter gave no exact date.
