Donald Trump has hailed America’s relationship with Saudi Arabia as the White House announced $600bn in defence and AI deals with the kingdom.
Speaking in Riyadh at the start of his Gulf tour, the US president praised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, calling him “an incredible man” and pledging to strengthen the strategic alliance.
“We reaffirm the bond and take the next steps to make our relationship closer, stronger, more powerful than ever before,” Trump said.
Nvidia share price 5% up
The headline agreements include a sweeping AI infrastructure push led by Saudi Arabia’s new state-owned firm, Humain, which plans to deploy hundreds of thousands of Nvidia chips – starting with 18,000 of the latest Blackwell servers. Nvidia’s share price jumped over 5% on the news, reflecting investor optimism over one of the largest state AI orders to date.
Humain’s ambitions are supported by parallel investments from AMD, which is co-investing up to $10bn, and Amazon, pledging $5bn for related infrastructure. The initiative positions Saudi Arabia as a global AI hub while underscoring the Gulf’s strategic importance in tech development.
$142 defence agreement
In defence, the White House cited a $142bn agreement involving more than a dozen US firms to supply Riyadh with advanced warfighting equipment. This includes missile defence systems, space and air force capabilities, and communications upgrades.
Alongside these, Saudi firm DataVolt will invest $20bn in US-based AI data centres and energy infrastructure, further deepening economic ties.
Trump’s trip, which includes upcoming stops in Qatar and the UAE, aims to secure over $1tn in deals. The region’s sovereign wealth funds manage over $3tn and are eager to deploy capital in cutting-edge technology.
The US president was joined by leading tech executives including Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman at a high-profile investment forum in Riyadh.
