The day after US President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, the White House unveiled Project Stargate, a $500 billion private sector–led venture to develop the United States' AI infrastructure. The project went global four months later, on May 22, when OpenAI announced that Stargate would expand to the United Arab Emirates, with the construction of a massive data center in Abu Dhabi. 

The launch of Stargate UAE is a sign of the times — emerging a week after Trump’s high-profile tour through Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE left behind a trail of headline-grabbing deals and pledges totaling more than $3 trillion. Unlike past presidential visits to the region inspired by oil, arms, security and conflict, this one was all about technology.

Silicon Valley giants struck deal after deal with oil rich Gulf monarchies eager to reinvent themselves as AI powerhouses. As it stands, this dealmaking blitz could mark an inflection point in the US-Gulf tech partnership and cement the region in America’s tech orbit. Although the numbers are staggering, many agreements remain heavy on hype and light on detail.

The most consequential and potentially transformative outcome from Trump’s trip were agreements to sell advanced AI chips to Gulf countries. These moves would give the UAE and Saudi Arabia coveted access to top-tier American hardware that had been reined in under the Biden administration and provide the foundations for creating cutting-edge AI infrastructure.