Gulf countries are being courted by the US and Japan, as the global artificial intelligence race heats up. The UAE is one of eight countries invited to the Pax Silica summit in the White House on Dec. 12. The meeting, which will also feature Israel, South Korea, and the UK, is an effort by the US to bolster its AI supply chain and reduce China’s influence in critical minerals and chips. Saudi Arabia is not on the guest list, although last month it agreed with the US to set up a rare earth refinery in the kingdom.
Tokyo is also looking for Gulf help to reduce its dependence on Chinese critical minerals: Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told the Future Investment Initiative’s Tokyo gathering this week that it would “accelerate efforts” to promote supply chain collaboration with countries including Saudi Arabia.