U.S. President Donald Trump began his Gulf tour on Tuesday with a high-profile visit to Saudi Arabia, marking the first stop in a regional trip focused on strengthening economic and strategic ties.
During a meeting at the royal palace with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump described him as a “friend” and praised the “tremendous relationship” they’ve built over the years. Reflecting on his first visit to the Kingdom in 2017, Trump said Saudi investments would play a key role in creating jobs back home. “I really believe we like each other a lot,” he added.
Speaking at the opening of official talks, Trump highlighted the economic stakes of the visit: “The world’s top business leaders are here today, and they’ll be leaving with a lot of checks,” he said. He estimated the deals could support “probably two million jobs” in the United States.
The Crown Prince personally greeted Trump upon arrival, with Air Force One escorted by Saudi F-15 fighter jets as it entered the Kingdom’s airspace—a gesture underscoring the importance of the visit.
The two leaders signed what was described as a “strategic economic partnership,” though no specific figures or details were released. Saudi officials later outlined a series of memoranda of understanding across key sectors including defense, energy, security, and mining, during a live-streamed signing ceremony—again without disclosing the full content.
The working lunch that followed brought together a lineup of prominent figures, including U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and tech billionaire Elon Musk. Trump also introduced the Crown Prince to members of his delegation and leading voices from the global tech industry.
Video footage from the event captured Mohammed bin Salman greeting a roster of influential CEOs, among them Sam Altman (OpenAI), Gianni Infantino (FIFA), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), Ruth Porat (Alphabet/Google), Larry Fink (BlackRock), Arvind Krishna (IBM), and Alex Karp (Palantir).
In a notable development on the sidelines of the visit, Nvidia announced a strategic partnership with Humain, a newly established Saudi artificial intelligence company. The two firms plan to build data centers with a combined capacity of 500 megawatts inside the Kingdom. “To build an AI company, you need powerful infrastructure powered by advanced chips,” said Humain CEO Tareq Amin. “Today, we’re announcing a 500-megawatt deployment with Nvidia. It’s an ambitious move for the Kingdom.”
The initiative aligns with Riyadh’s Vision 2030 agenda, which places artificial intelligence and advanced technology at the heart of its economic diversification strategy. Humain’s official launch, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman just one day earlier, signals Saudi Arabia’s determination to position itself as a regional powerhouse in emerging technologies.
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