The UAE is eager to push ahead with the joint development plan on artificial intelligence that U.S. President Donald Trump announced during his visit to Abu Dhabi in May.

In a message on X posted Wednesday, UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba noted his country’s pledge for $1.4 trillion in investments focusing on American AI infrastructure, semiconductors, energy and manufacturing.

“The UAE welcomes President Trump’s AI Action Plan and is ready to fast-track our strategic AI partnership with the U.S.,” Al Otaiba wrote. “We are collaboratively setting a new ‘Gold Standard’ for securing AI models, chips, data and access.”

The ambassador called attention to the planned UAE-U.S. AI campus that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed displayed to Trump, which will be able to provide a massive 5 gigawatts of power for AI data centers.

Also highlighted by Al Otaiba was a partnership deal agreed upon by Abu Dhabi’s G42 tech company, Oracle and the Cleveland Clinic to launch an AI-based global healthcare delivery platform.

In Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, the government launched its new National Artificial Intelligence Index on Wednesday to measure how agencies perform in terms of AI readiness and use of advanced data-driven technology.

Wio Invest, the app-based platform backed by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ, has surpassed $1 billion in assets under administration in less than two years, propelled by a new wave of digitally native and financially curious investors in the UAE.

Wio Invest said it has seen more than $4 billion in order volume year-to-date.

The so-called “neobroker” is now among the fastest-growing digital platforms globally and offers simplified access to global markets, ETFs and virtual assets via the Wio Personal app, which is run by related entity Wio Bank.

The platform seamlessly integrates opportunities to invest in UAE ventures, including a tab for taking part in local market IPOs and a partnership with Abu Dhabi alternative investment manager Lunate offering the option to place recurring orders for Lunate Chimera ETFs.

Customers have shown a strong interest in U.S. tech stocks and crypto.

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih is leading a trade delegation to Syria that touched down in Damascus on Wednesday with the goal of signing some $4 billion in deals.

At least 120 investors and a cross-section of Saudi officials are part of the group that aims to jumpstart business and assist in Syria’s economic recovery after 14 years of civil war, Arab News reports.

With a meeting between Al Falih and Syrian Economy Minister Mohammad Nidal Al Shaar on the agenda, the delegation was also scheduled to participate in a Syrian-Saudi investment forum and witness the launch of a large cement factory on the outskirts of Damascus. 

Syria’s new President Ahmed Al Sharaa traveled to Riyadh in February for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that included plans for cooperation in the fields of energy, technology, education and health.

The Saudi Embassy in Damascus announced the introduction on Tuesday of special travel permits enabling business people and investors to visit each other’s countries and stimulate economic engagement.

Qatar has officially entered the race to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, said competing for the games will build on the country’s success as the first Middle Eastern nation to host the FIFA World Cup soccer championship in 2022.

Having established prominence in international sports as a “central pillar of our national strategy,” Sheikh Joaan said Qatar already has 95% of the required infrastructure in place to become the first Middle East nation to host the Olympics.

Also competing for the 2036 games are India, Turkey, Chile and Indonesia.

Dubai-based jeweler Damas, which operates almost 150 stores across the Gulf, is being acquired by Titan, an Indian maker of fashion accessories.

Under terms of the $283 million deal announced in Mumbai, Damas will sell a 67% stake in the company to Titan, which is a unit of Indian conglomerate Tata.

Titan said it will make the acquisition through Signature Jewellery Holding, which is registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre.

Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports on how China has become dominant in the market for lab-grown diamonds, using established trading hubs such as Dubai and Antwerp as intermediaries to retail stores.

Emirates Group has launched a global talent drive to support expansion, with plans to hire 17,300 people across 350 different roles this year.

Recruits are being sought across Emirates airline and the dnata ground-handling unit, from cabin crew, pilots and engineers to IT, human resources and finance roles.

The company, which already has a 121,000-strong workforce, will host open days and other recruitment events across 150 cities including the UAE, The National reports.

Emirates airline posted its third consecutive year of record profits last year, with a post-tax profit of AED19.1billion ($5.2 billion) for the year ended in March.

It paid out a generous 22-week bonus to eligible employees following the result.

Mohamed Alabbar, the Emirati developer behind Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, is releasing a memoir.

The 68-year-old founder of Emaar Properties said on Instagram that he wrote “For the Love of the Craft” to share his reflections as a family man and proud citizen of the UAE.

The book’s cover is pictured in the Instagram post but no publishing date is given.

Alabbar, a longtime advisor to the UAE leadership, established Emaar in 1997. The company built the Dubai Mall – then the world’s biggest mall by total area – in 2009 and opened the adjacent 162-story Burj Khalifa the following year.

Alabbar is also Chairman of international property developer Eagle Hills and e-commerce platform Noon.

Saudi Arabia is considering significant cuts to the workforce at NEOM and could relocate more than 1,000 jobs to Riyadh, according to a media report.

Neom, the Public Investment Fund’s umbrella company for a host of megaprojects in northwestern Saudi Arabia, is trying to get a grip on ballooning costs and improve oversight of the vast development.

Staff relocated from the construction site would lose remote location benefits, including housing and meals, Semafor reports.

NEOM employs around 5,000 full-time staff, most of whom are located on site, where they are provided with cabins, round-the-clock canteens, gyms and schools.

Last week it emerged that the PIF had asked consulting firms to review NEOM’s banner construction project, The Line.