The Trump administration just handed the United Arab Emirates a significant upgrade in its ability to import advanced American semiconductors, rescinding Biden-era restrictions that had capped how many cutting-edge chips the Gulf state could buy. The headline move: authorization for 35,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs to ship to G42, a UAE-based AI firm, expanding the country’s previous import volumes by roughly three to four times.
That shipment alone is valued at over $1 billion. And it arrives at a moment when UAE-linked entities have also invested $500 million into World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture owned by President Trump’s family. The timing, to put it mildly, has attracted attention.
What changed and why it matters
The US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security rescinded chip export limits that the Biden administration had put in place to restrict the flow of advanced AI-capable hardware to certain countries. Under the new framework, the UAE can now import chips at three to four times its previous volumes, a dramatic loosening that aligns with a broader 2025 US-UAE Major Defense Partnership.
That partnership simplifies licensing expectations for technology transfers between the two countries.
