A delegation from the UAE will meet high-ranking US officials in Washington on Thursday, with the meeting aimed at bolstering the two countries' artificial intelligence partnerships.
On Monday, US undersecretary of state for economic affairs Jacob Helberg announced the meeting at an event previewing Tuesday's Hill & Valley Forum, which describes itself as a “private bipartisan community of lawmakers and innovators committed to harnessing the power of technology”.
Mr Helberg said the AI Acceleration Partnership signed by the UAE and US last year called for the establishment of an AI working group, as the technology and its use takes on more importance in the geopolitical landscape.
“In light of current events, the work of that group is even more meaningful,” he said in response to a question from The National. “We are going to reaffirm how much we value our bilateral relationship with the UAE and the courage that they've demonstrated throughout this incredibly trying time.”
The UAE has been the target of a series of Iranian drone and missile strikes launched from Iran following US and Israeli strikes on Iran that started at the end of last month.
Last week, the UAE's ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba said the Emirates remained “open for business” and would “navigate this period successfully”.
“The UAE's $1.4 trillion investment and economic framework with the US, announced last year, will stay on track, with plans to accelerate deployment and funding,” Mr Al Otaiba said. Several deals relating to AI, energy, advanced manufacturing and critical infrastructure are in the works, he added.
Also on Thursday at the US State Department headquarters will be an Eid dinner with various ambassadors from Gulf countries as well as the Emirati delegation, Mr Helberg said.
“Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and I will be hosting,” he said. The White House plans to “double down” on partnerships in AI and technology infrastructure throughout the Gulf.
Pax Silica Investor Consortium
Mr Helberg said the US was ready to announce the “next major milestone” in the Pax Silica initiative.
In January, the UAE and other countries signed up to the Pax Silica, a US-led project aimed at advancing innovation and supply chains as demand for AI-based technology booms.
The Pax Silica Investor Consortium, Mr Helberg said, is a landmark coalition of sovereign wealth funds and institutional investors that will focus on ensuring that minerals, ports, factories and energy assets powering global semiconductor supply chains “stay in trusted hands”.
He said its founding members are Abu Dhabi's Mubadala, Tokyo-based SoftBank and Singapore-based Temasek.
“It represents more than $1 trillion in combined assets under management,” he said. The State Department would be “kicking things off” by establishing a $250 million Pax Silica fund, he added. “It's one of the most significant and direct US government commitments to allied industrial investment in a generation.”
Mr Helberg said lessons could be learnt from the conflict with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
“It's about what happens when the physical infrastructure of civilisation, the chokepoints, corridors, cables and ports, become the battlefield,” he said.
