IYADH, Saudi Arabia — The United States and Saudi Arabia have signed agreements valued at $600 billion across artificial intelligence, defense, and other sectors, marking a significant opening move in President Donald Trump’s high-stakes tour of the Gulf region.
The deals include a major AI initiative by Humain, Saudi Arabia’s new state-run artificial intelligence company. Backed by the $940 billion Public Investment Fund and chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Humain plans to deploy hundreds of thousands of Nvidia’s high-end chips, starting with 18,000 of its new “Blackwell” servers. The investment aims to establish the kingdom as a global AI hub.
The agreements come as Trump embarks on a three-nation visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, aiming to secure over $1 trillion in commitments from Gulf states with a combined $3 trillion in sovereign wealth.
The announcement follows the Trump administration’s reversal of a Biden-era rule that restricted high-end AI chip exports to countries like Saudi Arabia, India, and Singapore. The change clears the way for massive U.S. tech collaboration with Gulf partners.
Top U.S. executives, including Elon Musk, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Wall Street leaders like BlackRock’s Larry Fink and Citigroup’s Janet Fraser, were present in Riyadh for a major investment forum coinciding with the announcement.
Gulf nations see artificial intelligence as central to their economic diversification strategies, leveraging their energy resources and capital strength to invest in next-generation industries.
