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Investing.com -- OpenAI, along with a consortium of American technology companies, secured a deal last week to construct one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence data centers in Abu Dhabi. According to The Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday, however, Elon Musk attempted to influence the deal in favor of his own AI startup, xAI.

Musk is said to have warned officials at G42, an AI firm controlled by the brother of the United Arab Emirates’ president, that the deal would not receive approval from President Trump unless his company, xAI, was included.

The tech entrepreneur found out about the impending deal in the U.A.E. just prior to President Trump’s mid-May tour of three Gulf countries. The information that Sam Altman, OpenAI’s Chief Executive, would be joining the trip and that a deal was being planned in the U.A.E. led to Musk’s discontent, the report says. In response, Musk decided to accompany the president on his tour and was present with him in Saudi Arabia.

Following Musk’s objections, the deal was reviewed by Trump and other U.S. officials. Despite the objections, the decision was made to proceed with the deal.

WSJ reports that Musk was opposed to a deal that appeared to favor Altman. The president’s aides deliberated on the best approach to placate Musk, as President Trump and David Sacks, the president’s AI and crypto advisor, aimed to announce the deal before the conclusion of the president’s Middle East trip.

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