Trump’s Middle East AI pact is a “masterstroke,” says White House’s David Sacks

President Trump has sealed what the White House now calls a major turning point in global artificial intelligence policy, following his visit to the United Arab Emirates earlier this week.

David Sacks, who runs crypto and AI strategy from the White House, took to X on Wednesday to call the deal “President Trump’s A.I. masterstroke in the Middle East,” according to a post that was shared by his office.

The AI Acceleration Partnership, which was signed in Abu Dhabi, is being described as the first agreement between the US and Gulf states that directly links artificial intelligence development to foreign relations and economic infrastructure.

David said the initiative isn’t just about cooperation, it’s a full rebuild of America’s approach to working with the Middle East on technology. He made clear this deal was needed to repair what he called “years of hostility from the Biden administration.”

AI deal brings semiconductors, security, and data center billions to US

Trump’s new agreement introduces a policy framework that ties regional partnership directly to America’s tech expansion. David said the new approach means Gulf partners will start pouring billions of dollars into building AI data centers on American soil. These facilities, he added, will match or surpass the size and strength of those already running in the Gulf region.

David said this deal isn’t a one-time signature but a long-term roadmap to lock the US tech ecosystem into position across the Gulf. “This means billions of dollars of investment flowing into the US and billions more in revenue from American technology exports,” he wrote.

He also spelled out a key part of the deal: semiconductor control. Under the partnership, David said that nearly all high-end AI chips used in Gulf countries will be owned and run by US hyperscalers and cloud firms. 

That keeps both the hardware and the profits tied to American companies. He also said every advanced chip covered in the deal will stay under strict US security oversight, blocking any illegal access or foreign interference.

“This ensures that these new AI compute clusters remain part of the larger American technology ecosystem, aligned with US interests,” David wrote.

He framed the agreement as mutually beneficial: America boosts its AI infrastructure using global cash, while partner countries gain direct access to the most powerful AI systems in development. “Our partners get to participate in the bounties of AI by building on the leading AI tech stack,” David wrote.

According to him, this is also a race. The larger this AI ecosystem becomes, the harder it will be for rivals—especially China—to catch up. “By creating the largest ecosystem, we also help to cement American technology as the global standard,” David added.

Trump’s new plan also appears to mark a hard break from the last administration. David accused the Biden White House of choosing isolation over inclusion. He said their decision to block regional allies from US AI infrastructure almost guaranteed they would lean toward China instead.

“If we reject them, we will drive them into China’s arms,” David said, warning it would create what he called a “Huawei Belt & Road.” He backed his point by quoting a line from The Godfather, saying, “A refusal is not the act of a friend.”

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