Rocks, Rockets, & Robots

Rocks, Rockets, & Robots

Hard Choices in Gulf AI Sovereignty?

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Jesse Marks
Dec 22, 2025
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US President Donald Trump (centre left) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (centre right) pose for a photo with business leaders at the King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center while attending a Saudi-US business investment forum on May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Arab Gulf states face a strategic AI dilemma. The desire to cultivate AI sovereignty means hedging technology partnerships in an increasingly bifurcated global semiconductor competition between U.S. and Chinese ecosystems. The GCC finds itself positioned between two incompatible systems. Aligning with Washington’s semiconductor architecture offers acces…

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