On Thursday, a senior UAE official will visit Washington to push for easier access to U.S. technology and explore potential investment opportunities in the country.

He is likely to hold talks with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. However, it remains unclear whether President Trump will take part in the discussions.

Earlier this year, the U.S. imposed stricter export controls on AI chips, including those produced by Nvidia, in a bid to limit China’s access to advanced technologies. While countries like Japan, the UK, South Korea, and the Netherlands are largely exempt from the new regulations, nations such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore face some restrictions.

As an emerging AI-driven nation, the UAE is keen to gain broader access to American technology to accelerate the growth of its own advanced tech sector. According to a recent Bloomberg report, Sheikh Tahnoon’s visit comes at the request of the Trump administration.