A breakdown of three major GCC-US deals announced during Trump’s 2025 Gulf visit, including Saudi AI startups, Qatar Airways, and the UAE’s Stargate project.
In this launch episode, I highlight three major business deals announced during Donald Trump’s May 2025 visit to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. They all show the growing scale of GCC-US economic partnerships.
Covered in this episode:
1. Saudi Arabia’s $600 billion commitment
– $20B from DataVolt into US AI infrastructure
– PIF-backed Humain partners with AWS, Nvidia, Cisco
– AWS to invest $5B+ in Saudi Arabia and train 100,000 locals in AI
Source: Reuters
2. Qatar Airways orders 160 Boeing jets
– $96B deal, including 130 Dreamliners
– Largest 787 order in Boeing history
Source: Reuters
3. UAE’s Stargate project
– New AI campus in Abu Dhabi in partnership with OpenAI, Nvidia, Oracle, Cisco
– First international deployment of OpenAI’s “Stargate” platform and “OpenAI for Countries” program
Source: Reuters
Key takeaway: GCC capital is accelerating its bets on US partnerships. The sectors topping the agenda are AI, aviation, and infrastructure.
Episode produced by Miret Padovani. Music licensed via Artlist: “Mau Mau – instrumental version,” La Nata. Connect on LinkedIn