U.S. plans to approve sale of chips to Saudi AI venture Humain Guests stand at the booth of Saudi artificial intelligence company Humain during the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh on Oct. 29. The U.S. plans to greenlight the first sales of advanced artificial intelligence chips to Saudi Arabian artificial intelligence firm Humain, people familiar with the matter said, marking a win for the state-backed venture as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with U.S. President Donald Trump. The approvals are expected as part of a broader AI agreement between Washington and Riyadh, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing a sensitive matter. The accord, which could be finalized as soon as this week, would see the U.S. government look favorably upon a negotiated volume of AI chip export applications for Saudi Arabia, which has needed Washington's permission for such shipments since 2023, the people said. "We are working on that," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as he met with Crown Prince Mohammed on Tuesday. The deal will involve "certain levels of chips," the president said.

The U.S. on Tuesday approved the sale of 360 million worth of armed drones and loitering munitions to Taiwan as Washington doubles down on helping Taipei counter a potential Chinese attack on the self-ruled island. The move reflects U.S. efforts to not only bolster the self-ruled island's asymmetric capabilities but also to use drone swarms to offset any Chinese military advantages in personnel and equipment in a possible conflict -- a strategy also embraced by Taipei as it draws lessons from the war in Ukraine. Announced by U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the potential sale, which must be approved by Congress, includes 291 warhead-equipped Altius-600M drones and 720 Switchblade 300 anti-personnel and anti-armor loitering munitions, marking the 15th arms package approved by U.S. President Joe Biden's administration.

Washington – The U.S. State Department cleared the potential sale of four sophisticated U.S.-made aerial drones to Taiwan in a formal notification sent to Congress, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, the last step before finalizing a weapons sale that will further anger China. The $600 million deal would be the first such sale since U.S. policy on the export of sophisticated and closely guarded drone technology was loosened by the Trump administration. Reuters reported in recent weeks on the administration moving ahead with four other sales of sophisticated military equipment to Taiwan, with a total value of around $5 billion, as it ramps up pressure on China and concerns rise about Beijing's intentions toward the island. The U.S. State Department's formal notification gives Congress 30 days to object to any sales, which is unlikely given broad bipartisan support for the defense of Taiwan. The four MQ-9 SeaGuardian drones, made by General Atomic Aeronautical System, Inc. of San Diego, California, would come with associated ground stations, spares and training.