The UAE and the U.S. have recently doubled down on their efforts to expand their strategic partnership which is built on more than five decades of coordination and collaboration across various fields, fostering development and prosperity in both nations.
The latest official visit by H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser, to the United States marked a step forward in strengthening those ties.
During the visit, Sheikh Tahnoon met with a number of U.S. officials at the White House. The meetings focused on advancing economic and technology ties between the two countries. Discussions also covered ongoing regional challenges and strengthening the decades-long U.S.-UAE strategic partnership.
The UAE is one of the U.S.’s key regional and global partners. The two countries maintain strong economic and investment ties. Their bilateral trade volume (excluding oil) reached close to $40 billion, with merchandise trade rising by 9.47 percent to $34.43 billion in 2024, compared to $31.45 billion in 2023, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
UAE invests over $70 billion in U.S. energy market
The UAE and the U.S. share a commitment to cooperation in enhancing regional and global security, achieving economic prosperity and addressing global challenges.
Over the years, the two countries have established a solid foundation for long-term economic collaboration and innovative partnerships in emerging fields, including Artificial Intelligence, food security, clean energy, space exploration and other priority sectors in areas of science, education and culture.
UAE investments in the U.S. reached approximately $3.7 billion between 2018 and 2023, while U.S. investments in the UAE amounted to around $9.5 billion during the same period. Both countries are working to enhance mutual investments in the energy sector, with the UAE holding over $70 billion in the U.S. energy market through ADNOC, Masdar and XRG.
Tech cooperation grows
The UAE’s investments in the U.S. also focus on renewable energy, telecommunications, real estate, software services and information technology. In 2024, several strategic partnerships and investment agreements were signed between the two countries, particularly in the areas of technology and AI.
In April, G42 and Microsoft announced a $1.5 billion strategic investment from Microsoft into G42. In June, U.S.-based World Wide Technology signed a strategic agreement with NXT Global to establish the first AI integration center in Masdar City, UAE. Additionally, G42 and Microsoft launched in February the Responsible AI Institute (RAI Institute), the first of its kind in the Middle East, aimed at promoting responsible AI standards and best practices across the region and the Global South.
Furthermore, the UAE and the U.S. announced a framework for cooperation in AI in September 2024, reaffirming their commitment to enhancing safe and reliable AI development, supporting ethical AI research and development, establishing regulatory frameworks to drive AI innovation, expanding collaboration in AI security, cybersecurity and talent development, supporting clean energy solutions for AI infrastructure and advancing AI for sustainable development in developing nations.
UAE’s key role in NASA’s Lunar Gateway Program
The UAE’s launch of the Hope Probe in 2021 also marked a significant milestone in space exploration cooperation with the U.S. This partnership expanded further through the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) in collaboration with the University of Colorado Boulder.
The UAE is also playing a key role in NASA’s Lunar Gateway Program by developing a dedicated airlock module for astronauts and scientists. As part of this initiative, the UAE will send its first astronaut to lunar orbit by 2030.
Collaboration in climate action
Climate action also remains a cornerstone of UAE-U.S. cooperation, highlighted by the UAE-U.S. Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE). This initiative aims to mobilize $100 billion to generate 100 gigawatts of clean energy by 2035.
Additionally, the UAE co-leads the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) with the United States, engaging over 50 countries and 500 partners to advance sustainable agriculture.
Masdar has also invested in 11 clean energy projects across the U.S., including the Big Beau project and battery storage project near Los Angeles.
