The UAE has unveiled a $1.4 trillion investment plan for the U.S. over the next 10 years, targeting AI, semiconductors, and manufacturing. The deal includes the first new U.S. aluminum smelter in 35 years and deepens UAE–U.S. economic ties, the White House says.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has committed to a massive $1.4 trillion investment framework in the United States over the next decade, according to a White House statement released Friday. The announcement follows high-level meetings this week between UAE officials and former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The investment strategy aims to significantly expand the UAE’s existing financial footprint in the U.S. across key sectors, including artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, and manufacturing.
While the White House did not provide a detailed breakdown of how the $1.4 trillion figure would be reached, several investment agreements had already been publicly disclosed before this announcement. The only entirely new deal revealed involves Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), which plans to build the first new aluminum smelter in the United States in 35 years. According to the White House, this facility would nearly double domestic aluminum production.
“Developing a primary aluminium smelter in the U.S. has been part of EGA’s ambitions for several years,” said an EGA spokesperson.
The UAE, a longtime U.S. ally and oil-rich Gulf state, is actively working to diversify its economy. Investments in AI and technology have become central to that mission. In a historic meeting last September, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with then-U.S. President Joe Biden to deepen cooperation in emerging sectors such as AI and space exploration.
In the Oval Office this week, Trump met with UAE national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, followed by a high-profile dinner hosted by Vice President JD Vance and several U.S. cabinet members. The UAE delegation included top executives from its sovereign wealth funds and state-owned enterprises.
Among the deals highlighted on Friday was a $25 billion energy and data infrastructure initiative involving UAE sovereign wealth fund ADQ and U.S. private equity firm Energy Capital Partners. The partnership had been previously disclosed earlier in the week.
Another investment by XRG, the international arm of ADNOC, will back U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) production through funding of the NextDecade export facility in Texas — a commitment originally made during Biden’s presidency.
Trump, meanwhile, has also requested a similar multi-trillion-dollar investment from Saudi Arabia, underscoring the intensifying competition among Gulf nations to build influence through economic partnerships with the United States.