Microsoft to ship 60,000 Nvidia AI chips to UAE

Microsoft will ship over 60,000 Nvidia AI chips to the United Arab Emirates under a deal approved by the US Commerce Department.

The chips, including Nvidia’s advanced GB300 Grace Blackwell models, will be used in UAE data centers.

The licenses were approved in September with strict safeguards.

This follows Microsoft’s earlier accumulation of more than 21,000 Nvidia GPUs in the UAE under previous approvals.

The transaction is part of Microsoft’s planned US$15.2 billion tech investment in the UAE.

The deal comes despite President Donald Trump’s recent comments that the US would not allow exports of the most advanced Nvidia chips outside the country.

Microsoft said the chips will support AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, open-source providers, and Microsoft.

🔗 Source: The Associated Press

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

US export licenses cleared after UAE commits $1.4 trillion to US projects
– US Commerce Department cleared Microsoft to ship more than 60,000 Nvidia chips (including GB300 Grace Blackwell GPUs) to the UAE 1.
– Approval followed a UAE pledge to invest $1.4 trillion in US energy and AI projects, a sum larger than its annual GDP 1.
– The deal moves ahead despite recent comments from president Donald Trump that the US would not allow exports of the most advanced Nvidia chips outside the country.
– Microsoft says the licenses came through in September with strict safeguards.

UAE data centers will expand AI infrastructure as chips arrive
– Shipments will feed UAE data centers that run AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic, open-source providers, plus Microsoft.
– Earlier approvals let Microsoft amass more than 21,000 Nvidia GPUs in the UAE.
– The move is part of Microsoft’s planned $15.2 billion tech investment in the UAE.
– With the new licenses, local facilities can ramp AI compute capacity and related infrastructure work.