The American giant wants to continue to develop AI and cloud infrastructure in the country.Skip the advertisement

Microsoft announced on Monday that it will invest $15.2 billion, mainly in artificial intelligence (AI), in the United Arab Emirates by 2029, saying it has obtained a license to import advanced chips into the Gulf country. The U.S. tech giant, which has invested $7.3 billion in the country since 2023, will spend “more than $7.9 billion” more by the end of 2029 to continue developing AI and cloud infrastructure in the country, its chairman Brad Smith said in a letter released on the sidelines of a visit to Abu Dhabi.

This includes the $1.5 billion investment in the artificial intelligence company G42, headed by the national security adviser and brother of the Emirati president, Tahnoon bin Zayed. “From the beginning of 2026 to the end of 2029, we will spend more than $7.9 billion” more” to continue developing AI and cloud infrastructure in the country, bringing the total package to $15.2 billion, he added.

U.S. restrictions

The Gulf state, which is among the world’s leading oil exporters, has made AI one of the pillars of its economic diversification strategy, with the ambition to become a global leader by 2031. However, it is subject to the rules imposed by the United States to restrict exports of certain advanced AI chips to China, one of which provides for authorizations for any export or re-export to limit any operation that circumvents the restrictions by passing through third countries. Exemptions are provided for countries considered to be friendly to the United States, but most are subject to limits.

During US President Donald Trump’s visit to Abu Dhabi in May, the Emirates and the United States entered into a strategic partnership in AI, raising hopes that these rules will be relaxed for the country. Under Joe Biden’s administration, Microsoft had been “one of the few companies” to obtain export licenses for the Emirates, allowing it to accumulate in the country the equivalent of 21,500 A100 chips from the company Nvidia, according to its president. And for the first time since Trump’s arrival, it obtained licenses in September “to ship the equivalent of 60,400 additional A100 chips,” in this case involving even more advanced technologies, he added, stressing that these authorizations were based on “strict technological protection measures.”

Source -Le Figaro