U.S. President Donald Trump poses for a family picture with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (AP News)
President Donald Trump on Nov. 19 touted $270 billion in new business deals signed between the United States and Saudi Arabia in energy, artificial intelligence, finance, and aerospace.
Speaking at the U.S.–Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center in Washington, held during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s formal visit this week, Trump attributed the surge in investments to his economic policies.
“We’re told that $270 billion in agreements and sales are being signed between dozens of companies, and that’s just happening today,” Trump said. “That’s big stuff.”
On Nov. 19, oil giant Saudi Aramco said it had signed 17 memoranda of understanding and agreements with U.S. companies worth more than $30 billion.
The projects cover liquefied natural gas (LNG), financial services, advanced materials manufacturing, and procurement of materials and services, according to the company.
GE Aerospace will supply dozens of airplane engines for Boeing 787 Dreamliners owned by Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier Saudia.
The contract also includes a comprehensive maintenance, repair, and overhaul program, as well as spare engines.
In addition, Saudi AI company Humain announced that it has launched a joint venture with AMD and Cisco to build AI data centers, starting with a 100-megawatt facility in Saudi Arabia.
The company is also partnering with Elon Musk’s xAI to build a 500‑megawatt data center in the kingdom.
Speaking at the forum, Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, said his company is working with Saudi Arabia to build supercomputers.
On Nov. 18, the United States and Saudi Arabia signed agreements on civil nuclear energy, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence, according to a White House fact sheet.
“The partnership between our two nations is among the most consequential in the entire world,” Trump said at the investment forum.
“And together, the crown prince and I are making our alliance stronger and more powerful than it’s ever been before.”
Both countries also signed the U.S.-Saudi Strategic Defense Agreement.
Trump has approved a defense sale package, including the future sale of F-35 fighter jets and nearly 300 U.S.-made tanks, according to the fact sheet.
“We’re going to be selling Saudi Arabia some of the greatest military equipment ever built,” Trump said.
However, the sale of F-35s requires congressional approval.
During his speech, Trump referred to the congressional approval process, joking that it would take about 24 hours since he had already approved the sales.
“We’re working on getting that approved very quickly,” Trump said. “You’re in good shape—very good shape.”
On Nov. 18, Trump hosted the crown prince at the White House for bilateral discussions, marking the Saudi leader’s first visit to the United States since 2018.
During the meeting in the Oval Office, bin Salman echoed Trump’s praise of the United States as the “hottest country on the planet.”
He unveiled plans to increase investment commitments in the United States from $600 billion to $1 trillion in emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, data centers, and magnets.
Trump said his administration is considering approving the sale of some advanced U.S. chip technologies to Saudi Arabia.
At the White House meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the administration is working on the details of export licenses, which will be part of the broader agreement between the two countries.
The crown prince expressed interest in joining the Abraham Accords to normalize relations between the kingdom and Israel.
However, he also emphasized the importance of having a “clear path” toward a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
