The US and the UAE are deepening collaboration on artificial intelligence, holding the first meeting of the US-UAE AI acceleration working group.
On Monday, the US State Department provided insights from the meeting, which took place on March 26 in Washington.
“UAE officials underscored their desire to sustain the partnership and their intent to deepen alignment with US technology and standards, while preserving the UAE’s sovereign decision-making,” the US State Department said.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson attended the meeting, at which he “emphasised that the US-UAE partnership” was “highly valued” by Congress.
Mr Johnson also described US and UAE's continuing collaboration as “strategic for both nations”.
Mohamed Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment, and Jacob Helberg, US undersecretary of state for economic affairs, chaired the meeting, with other Emirati officials and company leaders in attendance both virtually and in person.
Senior officials from the US Commerce, Energy, Defence and Treasury departments also took part.
Abu Dhabi-based AI company, G42, received mention throughout the gathering.
“The US side acknowledged the progress made by AI company G42 in building its already operational Regulated Technology Environment, which both sides regard as a gold-standard framework for managing sensitive technologies, and the company’s efforts to enhance this environment in line with jointly agreed security and governance requirements,” the State Department release read.
It added that the meeting concluded with both countries promising to deepen technical exchanges.
The State Department reflected on the timing of the meeting amid the current conflict in Iran, which it said “highlighted the importance both governments attach to their AI partnership”. It added: “The US is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the UAE in building the future together.”
The AI Acceleration Partnership, signed by the two countries last year, called for the establishment of an AI working group, as the technology takes on more importance in geopolitics.
The US and UAE have teamed up in various ways on AI, culminating in the building of what will ultimately be one of the world's largest data centres, Stargate UAE.
In terms of graphic processing units and central processing units – hardware that has become integral to AI development – the UAE recently received approval from the US to buy and import US-made chips.
During the AI acceleration partnership meeting, the broader agreements on chips remain “ironclad” and the State Department said the UAE “reiterated that it stands by its $1.4 trillion US investment commitment since last May”.
At the beginning of the year, the UAE joined Pax Silica, a US-led bloc of “trusted” partners aimed at advancing innovation and supply chains as demand for AI-centred technology booms.
Mr Helberg has announced what he described as the “next major milestone”: the Pax Silica Investor Consortium.
Mr Helberg said it would be 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 Temasek of Singapore.
