US authorizes export of advanced American semiconductors to companies in Saudi, UAE

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Commerce Department said on Wednesday ​it has authorized the export of advanced artificial ‌intelligence chips, the equivalent of up to 35,000 ‌NVIDIA Blackwell chips, to two companies in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The two companies are G42, which is a state-run AI company ⁠based in Abu ‌Dhabi, and Humain, which is a Saudi government-backed AI venture.

“Both ‍companies are receiving approvals to purchase the equivalent of up to 35,000 Nvidia Blackwell chips (GB300s),​” the Commerce Department said in a ‌statement. A total of 35,000 Blackwell’s are worth an estimated $1 billion, but prices vary.

“The approvals are conditioned on both companies meeting rigorous security and reporting requirements,” the ⁠Commerce Department said. ​

Earlier in the day ​Humain, a government-backed Saudi AI firm, said it planned to purchase of ‍600,000 ⁠Nvidia AI chips by HUMAIN.

HUMAIN and Elon Musk’s xAI plan to jointly develop data ⁠centers in Saudi Arabia, including a 500 megawatt facility.

‌(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; ‌Editing by Chris Reese)