The UAE is leveraging its immense wealth to establish strategic technological partnerships with the United States, particularly in artificial intelligence. A recent White House dinner between President Trump and Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan highlights the growing ties between American tech leaders and Emirati investment funds, creating a new dimension of influence that extends beyond traditional diplomatic channels into the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
The big picture: Sheikh Tahnoon, the UAE’s national security advisor and brother of Abu Dhabi‘s ruler, met with President Trump at the White House for a banquet dinner that focused heavily on strengthening technological partnerships.
- Trump acknowledged the meeting on Truth Social, highlighting “ways for our countries to increase our partnership for the advancing of our economic and technological futures.”
- Artificial intelligence dominated Sheikh Tahnoon’s agenda during his Washington visit, with his itinerary including meetings with tech leaders Elon Musk and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
Follow the money: The UAE has established a pattern of strategic technological investments in American AI companies, using its oil wealth to secure positions in the industry’s most significant players.
- Microsoft invested $1.5 billion last year in G42, an Emirati AI company chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon.
- Emirati funds including Dubai’s DAMAC and Abu Dhabi’s MGX (also chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon) have made substantial investments in leading U.S. AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Elon Musk’s xAI.
- The financial relationship has continued into the Trump administration, with MGX investing in Trump’s recently announced $500 billion “Stargate” project to develop U.S. AI infrastructure.
Why this matters: The UAE’s tech-focused diplomatic strategy represents a sophisticated evolution of soft power, using financial investments to secure influence within America’s emerging AI ecosystem while simultaneously strengthening bilateral relations.
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