US Eases Export Curbs on UAE, Opening Door for AI Chip Sales

The Trump administration plans to ease export restrictions on the United Arab Emirates, allowing the Gulf state to purchase advanced technologies including AI chips from Nvidia, AMD, and Cerebras. The Commerce Department cited the UAE's steps to safeguard sensitive technology and its support for the US in the war against Iran. The move shifts the UAE to a new country category with license-free access to advanced computing equipment, supporting its ambition to become an AI hub.

Bloomberg -- The Trump administration plans to ease export restrictions on the United Arab Emirates, clearing the way for the Gulf state to buy a wide range of advanced technologies including commercial satellites and semiconductors used for artificial intelligence. Most Read from Bloomberg - Microsoft's Xbox to Shift Obsidian Studio to New 'Fallout' Video Game https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-08/microsoft-s-xbox-to-shift-obsidian-studio-to-new-fallout-video-game?utm campaign=bn&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS - Nvidia's $1 Trillion Slide Sends Valuation to Pre-AI Boom Levels https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-08/nvidia-s-1-trillion-slide-sends-valuation-to-pre-ai-boom-levels?utm campaign=bn&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS - Ryanair Passenger Partly Sucked From Jet After Window Breaks https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-10/ryanair-passenger-partly-sucked-out-of-plane-as-window-dislodges?utm campaign=bn&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS - Prabowo's Clampdown on Indonesian Tycoons Fuels Capital Flight https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-07-10/indonesia-s-high-net-worth-individuals-move-money-offshore-on-prabowo-s-wealth-c?utm campaign=bn&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS - SK Hynix Raises $26.5 Billion in Biggest Foreign Debut in US https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-09/sk-hynix-is-said-to-price-us-share-offering-at-149-apiece-mrdz562z?utm campaign=bn&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS Under a notice set to publish next week, the Commerce Department said that the UAE now qualifies for easier treatment under US export control laws, citing steps taken by the emirate to safeguard sensitive American technology. The rule change posted Friday by the department's Bureau of Industry and Security also cited the UAE's support for the US in the war against Iran. Easing export restrictions opens the door for ventures in the UAE to begin buying cutting-edge AI chips from Nvidia Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Cerebras Systems Inc. as planned under a deal reached between the US and the country more than a year ago. That agreement called for the companies to supply G42, the Emirati state-backed tech champion, with thousands of processors for use in new AI data centers in the region. In recent years, the UAE has directed considerable amounts of the nation's oil wealth — and political capital — toward computing infrastructure, part of an effort to become an AI hub for the region as well as the global South. That was before the US and Israeli war against Iran, during which multiple data centers have been hit in the Gulf, leading to concerns about the region's ability to attract overseas tech investments. With the move, the administration has shifted the UAE to a new country category that gives it more access to high-tech US products, bringing more exemptions from licensing requirements. The UAE government and certain approved commercial ventures will have license-free access to advanced computing equipment, according to the notice. The notice cited the growing trade ties between the US and UAE, highlighting what it estimated as foreign direct investment from the emirates valued at more than $1 trillion in areas ranging from AI and metals to aviation and energy. --With assistance from Mark Bergen. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek - More Workers Take Mental Health Leave, and Bosses Aren't Happy https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-08/mental-health-leave-is-rising-as-more-us-workers-take-fmla-time-off?utm campaign=bw&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS - The Shattering of the Middle East's Most Unlikely Friendship https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-07-10/israel-palestine-conflict-shatters-unlikely-friendship-that-bridged-borders?utm campaign=bw&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS - At 17, She Sued Meta and Google, and Won. Now She's Ready to Tell Her Story https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-07-03/google-and-meta-lost-a-landmark-trial-to-kaley-but-kept-her-as-a-user?utm campaign=bw&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS - How an Italian Bike-Parts Pioneer Fell Behind at the Tour de France https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-08/tour-de-france-shimano-sram-outpace-campagnolo-in-bike-components-race?utm campaign=bw&utm medium=distro&utm source=yahooUS ©2026 Bloomberg L.P.