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Leila Al-Khatib

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  • The US eased export controls, giving the UAE licence-free access to Nvidia AI chips.
  • Approved firms like G42, Core42, and major US tech companies skip per-shipment licences.
  • The rule follows the 2025 framework and cites the UAE role in Operation Epic Fury.
  • Industry leaders welcomed the move, while Senator Warren warned about oversight and China risks.

Licence-free access to Nvidia AI chips now reaches the UAE after a major US policy change. The Commerce Department eased US export controls on Friday, opening a faster path for Gulf technology firms. Washington approved this shift to reward a close ally and to grow sales for American chipmakers. You now see a real turn in how the two countries share advanced computing and defense tools.

The new rule moves the UAE into a trusted country group with NATO members and allies. Approved firms like G42 and Core42 no longer need a separate licence for each shipment. Big US names such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and xAI gain the same relief. Officials signed the notice under Bureau of Industry and Security Director Jeffrey Kessler last week. This licence-free access to Nvidia AI chips follows the finalized 2025 framework between both nations.

Licence-free access to Nvidia AI chips reshapes ties

The deal caps a decade of security work between the two allies against Iran and its proxies. US officials cited the Emirates’ role during Operation Epic Fury, the recent strikes on Iran. Emirati investment in America now tops one trillion dollars across many industries and key sectors. For readers watching tech, this signals stronger demand for advanced AI chips across the Gulf region.

Andrew Feldman, chief executive of Cerebras, welcomed the decision to ease US export controls on the UAE. “The UAE has been an exceptional ally to the US,” Feldman said on Friday. He added that a sound policy keeps loyal partners firmly inside the American technology system today. Senator Elizabeth Warren attacked the move and called the arrangement corrupt in a public statement. She warned about sensitive technology reaching China through firms with broad Gulf and global reach.

Bigger deals now move faster

The rule sets no cap on how many chips approved UAE buyers can purchase. G42 already seeks powerful chips from Nvidia, AMD, and Cerebras for large computing projects. The firm builds a five-gigawatt data center in Abu Dhabi with OpenAI and Oracle. This licence-free access to Nvidia AI chips lets these projects grow without slow licensing delays. The Commerce Department also plans to review chip requests from the Abu Dhabi fund MGX.

How this affects you and the market

For global markets, this change signals a stronger flow of American chips into the Gulf. Chipmakers like Nvidia and AMD gain a large new market with fewer government hurdles ahead. From my standpoint, this policy trades tight control for faster deals and deeper strategic trust. You should watch how China responds to broader Gulf access under these eased US export controls. The UAE ambassador praised the decision as proof of deep and dependable cooperation between nations. This licence-free access to Nvidia AI chips now shapes trade, security, and technology across the Gulf.

The road ahead for Gulf tech

Supporters believe faster chip access helps the UAE build strong local AI and cloud services. Critics still worry about weak oversight as advanced AI chips flow into private Gulf hands. Warren asked Commerce Department leaders to testify before her committee about the wider security risks. You will see this debate shape US technology policy toward the Gulf for many years.

About NVIDIA

NVIDIA is a dominant semiconductor company specializing in GPUs that power artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, gaming, and data centers. It has become the critical infrastructure layer for the global AI boom.

Strategic Role:

  • Core Revenue Engine: Data center GPUs (AI training & inference)
  • Market Position: Near-monopoly in advanced AI compute hardware
  • Ecosystem Lock-In: CUDA software platform creates high switching costs

NVIDIA controls the most valuable choke point in the AI value chain—compute—capturing outsized margins and demand from hyperscalers and governments.

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  • AI, NVIDIA, Tech, Technology

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Apple's iPhone Duo
  • iPhone

The iPhone Duo is Apple’s first foldable iPhone, and it opens like a small book into a 7.6-inch screen. Closed, you hold a 5.4-inch outer display that fits in a pocket. Both screens share the same aspect ratio, so a video or app scales cleanly as you move between them. Stand it up on a table, and it works hands-free for calls or video. Apple showed the phone on September 9 at its Surprise and Shine event in Cupertino, where new chief executive John Ternus led his first keynote. He said rival foldables often feel like two phones stuck together. The Duo tries to feel like one device that changes size when you need it.

What the screens and camera can do

Open the Duo and the inner display runs 50 percent larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max. A custom nano-texture finish cuts glare and hides the crease, the seam that has annoyed foldable owners for years. Peak brightness reaches 3000 nits, so the screen stays readable outdoors. Inside, an under-display FaceTime camera keeps the view whole, with no notch breaking the screen. The rear camera leans on a 48MP Dual Fusion system with a main and an ultra-wide lens. There is no telephoto, a trade Apple made to save room in the thin body. Smart Take reads the scene and snaps the photo when everyone poses, so you can stand in the shot instead of behind it. You can also shoot 48MP photos and 4K video at up to 120 frames per second.

iPhone Duo specs that matter for daily use

The iPhone Duo specs point to a phone built for long, heavy days. Inside sits the A20 Pro chip with a vapor chamber that spreads heat during games and video edits. Apple pairs it with a dual-battery design that fits more cells into the frame. You get up to 31 hours of video on the inner screen and up to 44 hours on the outer one. Plug it in, and it reaches 50 percent in about 20 minutes. A Grade 5 titanium frame and a precision hinge give the body its strength, and Touch ID moves to the side button in place of Face ID.

iPhone Duo prices are ridiculously high

Here is the part your wallet cares about. The iPhone Duo price starts at $1,999 for 256GB in the United States, which makes it the most expensive iPhone in the lineup. In the UAE, iPhone Duo starts at AED 8,499 for the 256 GB, AED 9,349 for the 512 GB, AED 11,049 for the 1 TB, and the laptop-price level of AED 13,599 for the 2 TB. Preorders open October 16, and the iPhone Duo release date lands on October 23. Apple plans a first wave across more than 70 countries, then adds 28 more on October 30. For comparison, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 starts near $1,899.

Why the foldable iPhone arrives only now

Apple waited years while Samsung and others sold foldables. Now the foldable iPhone brings iOS 27 features built for two screens, like Split View and apps that respond to how you hold the phone. eSIM handles the connection, since there is no SIM tray anywhere. Apple Pencil support arrives later in 2026. That gap of a few weeks after the iPhone 18 Pro points to a slower, careful rollout for a harder build. If you have wanted a phone that turns into a small tablet without feeling clumsy, this is Apple’s answer, and you can hold one this month.

  • 3 min read
Work from Park initiative
  • Business

The Work from Park initiative puts bookable workspaces inside Dubai’s public parks, starting with Al Barsha Pond Park. Dubai Municipality announced the programme on 19 April 2026 and said it had signed two memoranda of cooperation to deliver it. One went to Group AMANA, which builds the units, and the other to Letswork LLC, which operates them.

Entrepreneurs, freelancers, small and medium-sized enterprises

The structure is a public-private partnership. Dubai Municipality provides the park and the mandate. Private firms handle design, construction, and daily operation. The municipality said the model gives the private sector a route into public facilities while each site keeps its role as a park.

Target users are entrepreneurs, freelancers, small and medium-sized enterprises, and anyone doing remote work in Dubai. Content creators get dedicated production rooms, which the municipality said are meant to strengthen their place in the emirate’s creative economy.

Letswork runs the booking side. Users reserve space through the Letswork app, check in on arrival and use one membership across the company’s network of venues. The offer covers desks by the hour, event space, podcast recording and production rooms for creators. Letswork will also run training programmes and group sessions for creative talent and new businesses.

How the Work from Park initiative is built

Group AMANA delivers the first site through its DuBox unit. DuBox builds the workspace modules in a factory, then transports them to the park and assembles them on site. The municipality said this shortens the build schedule, reduces waste and lowers the environmental footprint compared with conventional construction. Units can be reconfigured later as demand shifts.

The Al Barsha Pond Park site was scheduled to open in May 2026. Letswork now lists it as a bookable venue on its platform. The listing describes modular pods with high-speed Wi-Fi, power and climate-controlled seating, plus podcast studios and creative production rooms. Members can book day passes, meeting rooms and private offices under one Letswork membership.

Dubai Municipality said the Work from Park initiative would add more sites across the emirate later in 2026. Locations and opening dates for those have yet to be confirmed.

Bader Anwahi, CEO of the Public Facilities Agency at Dubai Municipality, said the partnerships combine advanced construction methods with private sector expertise to produce public infrastructure “that is flexible, sustainable, and aligned with modern lifestyles and work patterns.”

Richard Abboud, CEO of Group AMANA, said modular construction lets the company build efficient, adaptable units at speed.

Why the Work from Park initiative fits Dubai’s planning goals

The programme sits under three policy frameworks. Dubai’s 2040 Parks and Greenery Strategy targets 95 million park visits a year by 2040. Land use falls under the Dubai Urban Plan 2040. Economic targets through 2033 come from the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.

Omar AlMheiri, co-founder of Letswork, said the partnership would add dedicated creative spaces and podcast studios. He described it as a step toward changing where and how people in the UAE do flexible work.

Dubai Municipality describes the Work from Park initiative as the first of its kind. Existing Dubai coworking spaces operate from office towers, hotels and retail sites. This programme moves the format onto municipal parkland, with the municipality as host and a private platform as operator.

Outdoor workspaces in Dubai face one obvious constraint: summer heat. The Letswork listing addresses this with climate-controlled seating inside the pods. Demand across a full year of operation will show whether the format holds. The second site, once announced, will be the next signal of how fast the municipality intends to scale.

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