A roughly 5,000-word US Commerce Department rule grants license-free access to top-tier AI chips for UAE-based G42 and its cloud unit Core42, but sets an expiration date of April 2027. Under a 17-word clause in the measure, maintaining continued access may require the firms to become US companies or secure renewed approval. G42 stated that it maintains substantial US ties and continuously evaluates opportunities aligned with its long-term objectives.
US Democrats are threatening congressional investigations into agreements granting Gulf entities access to advanced artificial intelligence semiconductors. Lawmakers have raised concerns regarding potential technology diversion to China and alleged conflicts of interest. Deep commercial integration and existing export terms, however, complicate immediate attempts to restrict chip flows to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Deliveries of advanced artificial intelligence semiconductors from the United States to the Gulf have faced hold-ups amid regulatory scrutiny in Washington. US authorities have raised national security and export-control concerns regarding the flow of advanced computing technology to the region, including the risk of technology diversion. The delays affect data centre operators and technology projects across the Gulf that rely on high-performance American graphics processing units.
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