G42 gets US approval for advanced AI chip exports

The US has approved sales of tens of thousands of advanced AI semiconductors to Emirati AI firm G42 and Saudi Arabia’s Humain, in a major boost for both Gulf nations' ambitions to become formidable players in the technology.

Each company is slated to receive AI chips with the computing power equivalent to 35,000 GB300 processors from Nvidia Corp., the chipmaker's most advanced offering, according to the US Commerce Department.

The deal is contingent on both companies meeting "rigorous security and reporting requirements", the agency said.

"This announcement marks a defining moment for G42 and our partners as we move from planning into execution. Our shared infrastructure model sets a new benchmark for secure, high-performance compute that is designed to serve the needs of both nations. What we build in the UAE, we will continue to match in the US, maintaining symmetry and trust at every layer," said G42 group CEO Peng Xiao.

Accelerating shift

The development speeds up the foundational projects already underway in the UAE, including Stargate UAE, the 1-gigawatt AI compute cluster being built by G42 for OpenAI in partnership with Oracle, Cisco, NVIDIA, and SoftBank Group, which is part of the larger UAE–U.S. AI Campus, a 5-gigawatt AI infrastructure hub designed to deliver compute capacity and low-latency inferencing for the wider region. It also supports the expansion of technology collaborations with leading U.S. hyperscalers and chipmakers, including Microsoft, AMD, Qualcomm, Cerebras, and others.

Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, secretary general of the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council, added: "This decision affirms the depth of trust that underpins the UAE-US relationship. It reflects a shared strategic outlook - where technology is not merely a tool of progress, but a platform for stability, economic resilience, and long-term cooperation. The UAE is proud to play a constructive role in shaping that future."

While the US Bureau of Industry and Security recently approved American companies, including Microsoft and Oracle Corp., to use the critical semiconductors in projects in the UAE, the earlier export approvals didn't extend to Emirati companies such as G42.

Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, said in early November that the software giant had to satisfy "very strict conditions" to receive the approvals. 

In 2024, Microsoft said it would invest $1.5 billion in G42, with Smith taking a seat on the company's board.

With inputs from agencies