UAE is a preferred partner in the AI race, says US Interior Secretary
'You've got a trusted relationship … mutual investment in protecting each other in terms of defence,' Mr Burgum said in On The Record with Hadley Gamble.
'A 1-2-3 agreement on nuclear. I mean, there's a number of things where you'd say, hey, there's great alignment to make this happen.'
In an exclusive interview, the chairman of President Donald Trump 's Energy Dominance Council said that while the promised $1.4 trillion in UAE investment in the US was welcome, it is the opportunity to future-proof AI infrastructure that he is most excited about.
"I think one of the ideas that all countries [have] is how do they have a sovereign AI factory?' Mr Burgum said. "How do you make sure that if you're producing intelligence, that that intelligence supports the values that you're trying to drive as a country, as opposed to the bias that might be in someone else's algorithm or models?'
With the complexity of data sovereignty likely to dictate much of the decision-making process when it comes to building out AI infrastructure, the choice of partnership nations is more important than ever.
'The UAE is a country that's got a great alignment with the United States in terms of a set of values, our economic visions, in terms of the potential for partnership, with a tremendous amount of capital to invest through their various sovereign wealth funds,' Mr Burgum said, all crucial factors in aligning on AI.
Beyond the energy imperative, Mr Burgum said: 'When you're on that piece of soil, you follow the rules of the home country. In the same way we've built embassies abroad … there's an opportunity for people that have rich energy resources and stable governments to be able to say, 'hey, alongside your embassy let's build an AI data centre'. That means that's your [sovereign] data, that's your land. And you're protecting it."
As countries and companies look to adapt to data sovereignty and the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape, building out infrastructure in the right places is crucial.
'The UAE is definitely one of those,' Mr Burgum said. 'I think ... people would say, 'hey, this would be a great place, because you've got a trusted relationship'."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
19 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Trump envoy meets Israeli hostage families, says he has 'very good plan' to end Gaza war
US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy told families of hostages being held by the Palestinian group Hamas on Saturday that he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the war in Gaza. Trump has made ending the conflict a major priority of his administration, though negotiations have faltered. Steve Witkoff is visiting Israel as its government faces mounting pressure over the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the enclave. In a recording of the meeting, reviewed by Reuters, Witkoff is heard saying: "We have a very, very good plan that we're working on collectively with the Israeli government, with Prime Minister Netanyahu ... for the reconstruction of Gaza. That effectively means the end of the war." Witkoff also said that Hamas was prepared to disarm in order to end the war, though the group has repeatedly said it will not lay down its weapons. In response to the reported remarks, Hamas, which has dominated Gaza since 2007 but has been militarily battered by Israel in the war, said it would not relinquish "armed resistance" unless an "independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital" is established. Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and a deal for the release of half the hostages ended last week in deadlock. On Saturday, Hamas released its second video in two days of Israeli hostage Evyatar David. In it, David, skeletally thin, is shown digging a hole, which, he says in the video, is for his own grave. Witkoff met with Netanyahu on Thursday. Afterwards, a senior Israeli official said an understanding between Israel and Washington was emerging that there was a need to move from a plan to release some of the hostages to a plan to release all the hostages, disarm Hamas and demilitarise the Gaza Strip, echoing Israel's key demands for ending the war. Witkoff arrived in Israel with Netanyahu's government facing a global outcry over devastation in Gaza and the starvation growing among its 2.2 million people. The crisis has also prompted a string of Western powers to announce they may recognise a Palestinian state. On Friday, Witkoff visited a US-backed aid operation in southern Gaza, which the United Nations has partly blamed for deadly conditions in the enclave, saying he sought to get food and other aid to people there. Dozens have died of malnutrition in recent weeks after Israel cut off all supplies to the enclave for nearly three months from March to May, according to Gaza's health ministry. It said on Saturday that it had recorded seven more fatalities, including a child, since Friday. Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza and says it is taking steps for more aid to reach its population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, air drops and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. UN agencies have said that airdrops of food are insufficient and that Israel must let in far more aid by land and quickly ease access to it.
Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Khaleej Times
Hamas says it won't disarm unless independent Palestinian state established
Hamas said on Saturday that it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established — a fresh rebuke to a key Israeli demand to end the war in Gaza. Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and deal for the release of hostages ended last week in deadlock. On Tuesday, Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating ceasefire efforts, endorsed a declaration by France and Saudi Arabia outlining steps toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and saying that as part of this Hamas must hand over its arms to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. In its statement, Hamas — which has dominated Gaza since 2007 but has been militarily battered by Israel in the war — said it could not yield its right to "armed resistance" unless an "independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital" is established. Israel considers the disarmament of Hamas a key condition for any deal to end the conflict, but Hamas has repeatedly said it is not willing to lay down its weaponry. Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described any future independent Palestinian state as a platform to destroy Israel and said, for that reason, security control over Palestinian territories must remain with Israel. He also criticised several countries, including the UK and Canada, for announcing plans to recognise a Palestinian state in response to devastation of Gaza from Israel's offensive and blockade, calling the move a reward for Hamas' conduct. The war started when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has turned much of the enclave into a wasteland, killed over 60,000 Palestinians and set off a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel and Hamas traded blame after the most recent round of talks ended in an impasse, with gaps lingering over issues including the extent of an Israeli military withdrawal.
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
Trump sacks Labour Department official as warning signals flash in US jobs market
President Donald Trump lashed out at officials on Friday, saying Commissioner of Labour Statistics Erika McEntarfer would be fired, as a US jobs report put employment growth at a much lower level than expected. The Labour Department's employment report for July showed employers added 73,000 jobs, and revisions for May and June suggest hiring was weaker in those two months than thought. Mr Trump renewed his attack on Fed chairman Jerome Powell l, calling him a 'stubborn moron' after the Fed on Wednesday paused the cutting of interest rates. He then said the Ms McEntarfer, would be fired. He said she had "faked" jobs numbers under the Biden administration in an attempt to give presidential candidate Kamala Harris a boost. He also urged the Federal Reserve board to assume control if Mr Powell continues to refuse to lower interest rates. 'Too Little, Too Late. Jerome 'Too Late Powell is a disaster. DROP THE RATE! The good news is that Tariffs are bringing Billions of Dollars into the USA!' Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social. Economists polled by Reuters had thought July's jobs number would be 110,000. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2 per cent. Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management, said Mr Powell might have lowered interest rates on Wednesday if he 'knew then what he knows now'. 'There's no way to pretty-up this report. Previous months were revised significantly lower where the labour market has been on stall-speed,' he said, predicting a rate cut at the next Fed meeting. The unexpectedly weak report raises questions about the health of the job market and the economy amid Mr Trump's radical efforts to reshape US trade policy. Late on Thursday, he unveiled hefty tariffs on imports from around the world. 'President Trump is using tariffs as a necessary and powerful tool to put America first after many years of unsustainable trade deficits that threaten our economy and national security,' the White House said. Also weighing on the economy is an anticipated drop in foreign workers as Mr Trump pushes ahead with efforts to deport immigrants who do not have authorisation, although he has suggested farmers and hoteliers might be spared wholesale round-ups of their staff. Wells Fargo economists called July's job report a "dud" and forecast interest rate cuts of 0.25 per cent in September, October and November.
