By Mukhammad Khalil, Founder of Startup Garage
Tashkent, May 2025
In a landmark moment that signaled the convergence of geopolitics and global innovation, U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia catalyzed over $600 billion in strategic investment pledges, with the potential to exceed $1 trillion in the coming years. More than symbolic, the visit marked a pivotal shift: governments are no longer just regulators—they are becoming architects of economic expansion and tech leadership.
Hosted in Riyadh, the Saudi-American Investment Forum gathered political leaders and executives from the world’s most powerful technology and investment firms. Among those present were Elon Musk (Tesla & SpaceX), Sam Altman (OpenAI), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), Andy Jassy (Amazon), Larry Fink (BlackRock), Alex Karp (Palantir), Arvind Krishna (IBM), and Jane Fraser (Citigroup). Their attendance highlighted the strategic weight of this moment—not just for the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, but for the future of cross-border innovation.
💼 Major Investment Announcements
The forum yielded several transformative agreements:
- $600B+ in Saudi investment commitments across sectors including AI, energy, defense, and healthcare—with Trump suggesting the figure could rise to $1 trillion
- $500B AI infrastructure initiative led by Nvidia, aimed at establishing advanced data processing networks across the U.S.
- $142B in defense agreements, including a $4.8B contract with Boeing for aircraft and technology upgrades
- $20B investment by DataVolt, a Saudi-backed firm, to develop AI-powered energy and data infrastructure in the U.S.
- $5.8B healthcare investment in Michigan by Shamekh IV Solutions, projected to create thousands of jobs
- $80B in joint tech collaborations between U.S. firms (including Google, Oracle, Salesforce, AMD, and Uber) and Gulf partners focused on mobility, semiconductors, and AI R&D
These figures don’t just represent capital—they reflect a strategic alignment of national interests, commercial capabilities, and technological ambition.
🏛️ Governments as Growth Architects
The message from Riyadh was clear: public-private synergy is no longer optional—it’s essential. Governments are stepping in as co-creators of future industries—negotiating trade deals, enabling infrastructure, and helping their companies compete globally.
“This is a new model of tech diplomacy,” one senior U.S. representative noted. “One where statecraft and startup ecosystems evolve together.”
For emerging economies—particularly in Central Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia—this moment should serve as a catalyst.
👉 Key takeaway: If emerging markets want their startups to go global, governments must transition from passive facilitators to proactive partners—providing soft landing zones, capital access, regulatory support, and diplomatic corridors for cross-border growth.
🌍 Why It Matters to Us
At Startup Garage, we believe that the next generation of economic powerhouses will emerge not just from capital or code—but from ecosystems where policy, innovation, and capital flow together. What we’re witnessing in Riyadh is more than a forum. It is a playbook for how nations can help their entrepreneurs win on the global stage.
This is a call to action:
Let us build not just startups, but sovereign strategies.
Let us act—not just locally, but globally.Mukhammad Khalil
Founder, Startup Garage
www.startupgarage.uz | Building the Next Generation of Founders
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