WSJ: Trump administration delays chip deal with UAE over China concerns

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is delaying the conclusion of a deal to sell high-tech chips from Nvidia to the United Arab Emirates worth billions of dollars.

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources, Washington fears that advanced technologies may ultimately end up in China.

Trump supported the supply of microchips to the UAE during his Middle East tour in May. The parties hoped to agree on the details of the deal quickly, and Nvidia was ready to begin deliveries, but a final agreement has not yet been reached. This is due to concerns by some American officials that the latest chips could be transferred from the UAE to China.

According to the publication's sources, the deal can only be finalised if Abu Dhabi agrees to new terms that meet U.S. national security interests. Washington wants, among other things, to exclude the company G42 — a leading UAE firm specialising in artificial intelligence development — from the list of direct recipients of the chips. The newspaper notes that such a change in conditions may cause dissatisfaction in the UAE.

By Vugar Khalilov