Al Otaiba: UAE receives first batch of next-generation US AI chips under strategic partnership

Washington: The UAE has received the first shipment of advanced American artificial intelligence chips as part of a rapidly expanding technology partnership with the United States, according to Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassadors to the UAE, who said additional deliveries are expected in the coming months.

Speaking during a keynote address at the SCSP AI+ Expo in Washington, Al Otaiba said construction is already under way on the planned 5-gigawatt UAE-US AI campus, a project launched during the visit of Donald Trump to Abu Dhabi exactly one year ago. He said the first 200 megawatts of the facility are expected to come online “very soon”.

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Al Otaiba revealed that Washington approved the export of thousands of next-generation AI chips last November to support the project, stressing that the arrival of the first batch is a major milestone in bilateral technological cooperation. 

He said the significance of the initiative lies in its global reach, arguing that American technology deployed from Abu Dhabi could eventually serve nearly half of the world’s population while helping deliver AI capabilities to emerging markets.

Amb. Al Otaiba: “The first batch of advanced AI chips have been delivered to the UAE & more are on the way.”

A year since @POTUS' visit to Abu Dhabi—chips approved & delivered, the U.S.-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership isn't slowing down. Full remarks: https://t.co/JHx08La0WQ pic.twitter.com/SmGr8uTKHN

— UAE Embassy US (@UAEEmbassyUS) May 8, 2026

The ambassador said the UAE and the US are building what could become “the most consequential economic partnership of this decade”, pointing to Emirati investments in American AI infrastructure, energy and manufacturing sectors that he said would help create thousands of jobs across the United States. 

He added that the UAE has already implemented investments worth $1 trillion in the US, with a further $1.4 trillion planned over the next decade, alongside more than 30 deals signed during the past year alone.

Al Otaiba stressed that the UAE remained fully committed to American technology and had no intention of pivoting toward alternative systems. 

He also highlighted the UAE’s long-term AI strategy, pointing to the appointment of the world’s first Minister of Artificial Intelligence in 2017 and the establishment of Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, which he described as one of the world’s leading AI research institutions.

He added that the UAE has introduced strict and transparent safeguards for securing advanced technologies under joint oversight with the United States, saying the future of artificial intelligence must be built on trust, reliable partnerships and long-term investment.