OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly defended President Donald Trump 's recent AI technology deals with Gulf nations, dismissing critics as "naive" in a social media post on Saturday.
"This was an extremely smart thing for you all to do and i'm sorry naive people are giving you grief," Altman wrote on X, responding to David Sacks, Trump's AI czar and former PayPal executive who expressed confusion about the criticism.
Billions in chips and data centers headed to the Middle East
During Trump's Middle East tour this week, several major technology agreements were announced, including a partnership between chipmakers Nvidia and AMD with Humain, a new Saudi AI company launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Amazon Web Services revealed a $5 billion plan to build an "AI Zone" in Saudi Arabia, while the UAE announced a new AI campus.
OpenAI also plans to construct what could become one of the world's largest data centers in the UAE, signaling the tech industry's growing interest in the region as an emerging AI hub.
Multibillion-dollar deals spark bipartisan security concerns
The deals have alarmed lawmakers across the political spectrum in Washington. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer called the chip deal "dangerous" during a Senate floor speech Thursday, citing concerns about potential technology transfer to China.
"We have no clarity on how the Saudis and Emiratis will prevent the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese government, the Chinese manufacturing establishment, from getting their hands on these chips," Schumer said.
The Republican-led House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party echoed these worries, stating that the deals "present a vulnerability for the CCP to exploit" without proper safeguards in place.
Silicon Valley divided as tech giants pursue Gulf opportunities
The agreements highlight growing tensions between technology companies eager to expand in the resource-rich region and security hawks concerned about advanced technology transfers.
According to reports, the deals were negotiated by Trump's top AI advisers, venture capitalists David Sacks and Sriram Krishnan, working with industry leaders including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Altman.
Some Trump administration officials are reportedly weighing options to pause the deals over concerns they could breach security red lines, according to Bloomberg. Meanwhile, investors have largely responded positively, with shares in Nvidia and AMD surging after the announcements.
"This was an extremely smart thing for you all to do and i'm sorry naive people are giving you grief," Altman wrote on X, responding to David Sacks, Trump's AI czar and former PayPal executive who expressed confusion about the criticism.
Billions in chips and data centers headed to the Middle East
During Trump's Middle East tour this week, several major technology agreements were announced, including a partnership between chipmakers Nvidia and AMD with Humain, a new Saudi AI company launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Amazon Web Services revealed a $5 billion plan to build an "AI Zone" in Saudi Arabia, while the UAE announced a new AI campus.
OpenAI also plans to construct what could become one of the world's largest data centers in the UAE, signaling the tech industry's growing interest in the region as an emerging AI hub.
Multibillion-dollar deals spark bipartisan security concerns
The deals have alarmed lawmakers across the political spectrum in Washington. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer called the chip deal "dangerous" during a Senate floor speech Thursday, citing concerns about potential technology transfer to China.
"We have no clarity on how the Saudis and Emiratis will prevent the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese government, the Chinese manufacturing establishment, from getting their hands on these chips," Schumer said.
The Republican-led House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party echoed these worries, stating that the deals "present a vulnerability for the CCP to exploit" without proper safeguards in place.
Silicon Valley divided as tech giants pursue Gulf opportunities
The agreements highlight growing tensions between technology companies eager to expand in the resource-rich region and security hawks concerned about advanced technology transfers.
According to reports, the deals were negotiated by Trump's top AI advisers, venture capitalists David Sacks and Sriram Krishnan, working with industry leaders including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Altman.
Some Trump administration officials are reportedly weighing options to pause the deals over concerns they could breach security red lines, according to Bloomberg. Meanwhile, investors have largely responded positively, with shares in Nvidia and AMD surging after the announcements.
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