We are pleased to announce that The Chair of the State of Qatar in Islamic Area Studies at Waseda University will be organizing the Majlis@Waseda on 31st Oct 2024. We would like to provide you with some details of the event:
“AI Chips and Data Centers in the Gulf: Investing in Running and Powering AI in the Tech War”
Dr. June Park
Thursday, October 31, 17:30-19:00
Waseda University Building 3, Room 301
This talk examines the rapid development of AI in the Gulf, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, within the context of the U.S.-China tech rivalry. It highlights how Gulf sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), such as the UAE’s Mubadala and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), are investing in AI chips, data centers, and infrastructure to boost their industrial capacity. As AI advances globally, the U.S. has imposed stricter export controls on advanced chips like GPUs, raising national security concerns over Gulf states potentially serving as intermediaries for China; for example, the UAE’s Mubadala recently formed a technology investment vehicle, MGX, in partnership with G42, which has ties to China. MGX is set to create a $30 billion fund for AI infrastructure investment, involving partnerships with companies like Microsoft and OpenAI. The talk will also address upcoming U.S. Commerce export control updates in October 2024, and the question of restricting China’s access to advanced semiconductors.
Please pre-register if you wish to attend at: https://forms.gle/NHwJJZMmwjNemrTX7
