Saudi Arabia and the United States have strengthened their strategic partnership following the official visit of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to Washington, DC, where he met US President Donald Trump. The visit delivered wide-ranging agreements across defence, energy, AI, digital infrastructure, trade and investment, collectively worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Through multiple forums, official meetings and high-level dialogues, both sides established more than $575bn in partnerships, alongside additional agreements and MoUs that deepen one of the world’s most influential bilateral relationships.
Strategic Outcomes and High-Level Engagements
In a joint statement, the US confirmed that the Crown Prince visited Washington from November 18 to 19, 2025, at the invitation of President Trump and under directives from King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. During meetings at the White House, both leaders reaffirmed their “deep commitment to the historic bonds of friendship and the strategic partnership” between the two nations. They discussed regional developments, global challenges and expanded cooperation.
Senior officials from both governments attended the Saudi–US Summit. From the Kingdom, attendees included the Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Ambassador to the United States Princess Reema bint Bandar, the Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid Al-Kassabi, the Minister of Finance Mohammed Aljadaan and the Governor of the Public Investment Fund Yasir Al-Rumayyan. The US delegation included Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The Crown Prince noted the positive outcomes of President Trump’s May 2025 visit to the Kingdom, which elevated the bilateral relationship “to an unprecedented historical level.”
Major Agreements Announced
The visit produced a series of major agreements, including:
- The Strategic Defense Agreement
- The AI Strategic Partnership
- A joint declaration on civil nuclear energy cooperation
- Strategic frameworks for critical minerals, permanent magnets and uranium supply chains
- Arrangements to accelerate Saudi investments in the United States
- Capital markets collaboration agreements
- Mutual recognition of US federal vehicle safety standards
- An MoU on education and training
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump also hosted a state dinner in honour of the Crown Prince.
$575bn in Joint Investments and New Corporate Agreements
During the US–Saudi Investment Forum, approximately $270bn in agreements and MoUs were unveiled. The Crown Prince also engaged with congressional leaders, including US House Speaker Mike Johnson and members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
At the Forum’s second edition, Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih announced that the total value of investments and agreements between companies from both countries has reached $575bn. This figure includes $307bn announced during President Trump’s visit to Riyadh in May and $267bn in new agreements signed in Washington. These deals span energy, AI, defence, space, finance, education, healthcare and infrastructure.
Al-Falih described the partnership as a significant advantage for US companies seeking entry into one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, while enabling Saudi companies to access advanced American technology and the world’s largest consumer market.
Aramco Secures $30bn in New Deals
Aramco signed 17 new MoUs and agreements valued at more than $30bn, adding to the 34 agreements revealed in May worth approximately $90bn. The new deals cover:
- LNG projects in Lake Charles and Louisiana
- Potential LNG and natural gas purchases through Aramco Trading with Commonwealth LNG
- Procurement and long-term partnerships with SLB, Baker Hughes, McDermott, Halliburton, Nesr, KBR, Flowserve, NOV, Worley and Fluor
- An extended MoU with Syensqo to localise carbon fibre and advanced composites manufacturing
- Asset-management agreements for Wisayah with Loomis Sayles, Blackstone, PGIM and J.P. Morgan
Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser highlighted the company’s nine-decade partnership with US firms, noting their ongoing contributions across oil, gas, downstream expansion, digital technologies, AI and workforce development.
Expanding Trade, AI Projects and Digital Infrastructure
Over the past decade, Saudi–US trade has surpassed $500bn, with trade volume rising more than 50 per cent since 2020. Bilateral trade reached $33bn in 2024, with fertilisers and organic chemical products leading Saudi exports, while U.S. machinery, equipment and automobiles accounted for $9bn in imports. Early 2025 data shows $16bn in trade in the first half of the year.
During the Forum, a major AI-focused session was led by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha, featuring Elon Musk and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. Newly announced initiatives include:
- A new generation of high-capacity data centres in Saudi Arabia
- Nationwide deployment of Grok models
- A 500-megawatt computing project
- AI accelerator deployment with AWS and NVIDIA
- Supercomputing systems and advanced digital factories using NVIDIA’s Omniverse
- Collaboration with companies such as HUMAIN on digital infrastructure
Musk said that accelerating technological change could make many jobs optional, driving new productivity waves. Huang described AI as a “cornerstone of global infrastructure.” Minister Alswaha also highlighted advances in AI-driven material discovery and nanorobotics for genetic disease treatment.
Conclusion of the Visit
At the end of the visit, the Crown Prince thanked President Trump for the warm welcome and hospitality, while President Trump offered his best wishes to King Salman and the Crown Prince, expressing hope for continued progress and prosperity for the Saudi people.
