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A US intelligence mission launched to investigate the UAE’s G42 ultimately helped clear Abu Dhabi’s path to advanced American technology, according to The Wall Street Journal. The operation shifted Washington’s debate from whether the UAE should become an AI power to how quickly the United States should help it get there.
Veteran CIA operative Jonny Gannon arrived in Abu Dhabi in 2023 under diplomatic cover while serving as the agency’s station chief. His assignment was to determine whether Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed and G42 could protect sensitive US technology from reaching China.
The Journal reported that Gannon gathered intelligence on the company’s Chinese contacts while quietly advising its executives on the problems they needed to resolve. After receiving US warnings, G42 said it removed $150 million in Huawei equipment and offered Washington access to its data centers and staff. Gannon later briefed senior American officials on the company’s progress.
Details
- Initial threat: Biden officials considered blacklisting G42 in 2023 over its links to Chinese companies.
- Sensitive history: G42 emerged from a unit led by CEO Peng Xiao at DarkMatter, a cybersecurity company linked to surveillance operations and a US investigation.
- Washington’s demand: US officials told Sheikh Tahnoon that the UAE had to choose between the American and Chinese technology ecosystems at the most advanced level.
- Emirati response: Abu Dhabi accepted external audits, removed Chinese equipment and strengthened security and compliance controls.
- Internal divide: Supporters argued that integrating the UAE into the US system would keep it away from China, while critics feared the loss of America’s technological advantage.
- Final outcome: The Biden administration created a framework for chip exports before the Trump administration expanded access and temporarily lifted caps on G42.
Between the lines
The story exposes a new gray zone where intelligence, diplomacy and commercial interests converge. Washington used classified findings not simply to isolate a suspected partner, but to reshape it around US requirements. The UAE, in turn, converted intense scrutiny into recognition of its role in the global AI race.
What’s next
The arrangement will be tested as Abu Dhabi builds Stargate UAE with advanced US chips. Washington will monitor G42’s separation from Chinese technology, while the UAE seeks to prove it can protect sensitive systems and establish itself as a global AI center.
