Microsoft to send Nvidia's top AI chips to the UAE despite Trump saying they wouldn't be exported outside the U.S. | Fortune

"Microsoft said Monday it will be shipping Nvidia's most advanced artificial intelligence chips to the United Arab Emirates as part of a deal approved by the U.S. Commerce Department. The Redmond, Washington software giant said licenses approved in September under "stringent" safeguards enable it to ship more than 60,000 Nvidia chips, including the California chipmaker's advanced GB300 Grace Blackwell chips, for use in data centers in the Middle Eastern country."

"The agreement appeared to contradict President Donald Trump's remarks in a "60 Minutes" interview aired Sunday that such chips would not be exported outside the U.S. Asked by CBS News' Norah O'Donnell if he will allow Nvidia to sell its most advanced chips to China, Trump said he wouldn't. "We will let them deal with Nvidia but not in terms of the most advanced," Trump said. "The most advanced, we will not let anybody have them other than the United States.""

"The UAE's ability to access chips is tied to its pledge to invest $1.4 trillion in U.S. energy and AI-related projects, an outsized sum given its annual GDP is roughly $540 billion. The UAE ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al Otaiba, said in a statement earlier this year that the arrangement was "setting a new 'Gold Standard' for securing AI models, chips, data and access.""

Microsoft will ship more than 60,000 Nvidia chips, including GB300 Grace Blackwell, to the United Arab Emirates under licenses approved by the U.S. Commerce Department. Licenses approved in September included "stringent" safeguards for use in UAE data centers. The agreement contrasts with President Trump's televised remark that the most advanced chips would not be exported outside the United States. UAE access to the chips is linked to a pledge to invest $1.4 trillion in U.S. energy and AI-related projects. The UAE ambassador described the arrangement as setting a new 'Gold Standard' for securing AI models, chips, data and access. Microsoft plans a $15.2 billion technology investment in the UAE and has accumulated over 21,000 Nvidia GPUs there to provide access to advanced AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, open-source providers, and Microsoft.

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