Microsoft announced that it is investing $7.9 billion in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between 2026 and 2029 following approval from the United States to ship Nvidia AI chips to the UAE.
“This is not money raised in the UAE. It’s money we’re spending in the UAE,” Microsoft said in its announcement of the investment. “And as we do everywhere in the world, we’re focused not just on growing our business but also on contributing to the local economy. This involves bringing together three critical factors – technology, talent, and trust.”
The company’s latest move brings the total investment in the UAE to $15.2 billion.
Discussing its deal to ship Nvidia’s graphics processor units, called GPUs, Microsoft explained that the chips will “provide access to advanced AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, open-source providers, and Microsoft itself.”
Microsoft has also agreed to train one million people on AI technology in the UAE by the end of 2027.
Microsoft’s export of chips appears to contradict a recent statement from President Trump, who told CBS’s “60 Minutes” that Nvidia’s advanced chips are not to be obtained outside of the United States.
“We will not let anybody have them other than the United States,” he said, specifically addressing the possibility of China obtaining the technology.
Microsoft’s investment with the UAE comes as the UAE has pledged to invest in the United States. The framework will “substantially increase the UAE’s existing investments in the U.S. economy in AI infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, and American manufacturing,” according to the White House.
