The United Arab Emirates announced plans to increase the value of its investments in the United States energy sector to $440 billion by 2035, significantly expanding its global energy footprint and strengthening bilateral economic ties with Washington.
The strategy was unveiled on Friday by Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), during a presentation to US President Donald Trump, who is concluding a Gulf tour focused on securing trade and investment agreements.
The initiative, part of a broader economic partnership, will see UAE investments in U.S. energy rise from the current $70 billion, with reciprocal American investment flows into the UAE’s oil, gas, and renewable sectors also expected.
“Our partners have committed new investments worth $60 billion in upstream oil and gas, as well as new and unconventional opportunities,” Al Jaber told President Trump, highlighting projects involving ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum (Oxy), and EOG Resources.
UAE–US Strategic Economic Pact
The announcement comes just months after the UAE committed to a 10-year, $1.4 trillion investment framework in the United States, aimed at deepening economic ties across critical industries, including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, energy, and manufacturing.
According to a White House statement, the framework will “substantially increase the UAE’s existing investments in the U.S. economy.”
“We’re making great progress for the $1.4 trillion that the UAE has announced it intends to spend in the United States,” President Trump said during a speech in Abu Dhabi.
“Yesterday, the two countries also agreed to create a path for the UAE to buy some of the world’s most advanced AI semiconductors from American companies — a very big contract.”
UAE Eyes Advanced Technologies, Global Expansion
Trump praised the UAE’s strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence and next-generation industries, suggesting that future growth in these sectors could surpass traditional oil and gas revenues.
“The oil and gas is great, but you’re going to have equally big — maybe even bigger — businesses in AI and other technologies,” Trump told UAE officials.
The UAE’s expanded push into the U.S. energy market includes the involvement of XRG, ADNOC’s international investment arm launched in 2024 with $80 billion in assets. XRG is currently seeking significant stakes in U.S. natural gas and hydrogen projects, including:
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A stake in NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG export facility in Texas
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A planned ExxonMobil hydrogen plant, also in Texas
Meanwhile, Mubadala Energy, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s second-largest sovereign wealth fund, recently entered into a joint venture with U.S. investment firm Kimmeridge to acquire stakes in American gas assets.
A Pivot Toward Economic Diversification
The UAE's bold investment strategy aligns with its long-term vision to diversify beyond oil and become a global player in energy innovation and industrial technology. The country is leveraging its sovereign wealth and energy experience to deepen partnerships with top-tier U.S. firms, while accelerating its own transformation into a knowledge-based economy.
With growing bilateral trade and a shared focus on future industries, both countries appear set to benefit from the strengthened economic relationship — one that is now backed by trillions in committed investment.
