Key Takeaways
- AMD (AMD) and Cisco (CSCO) have launched a major AI production deployment in Saudi Arabia, with plans to scale infrastructure to 250 MW by 2027 and 1 GW by 2030.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a "constructive" call with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, signaling a potential shift in peace negotiations as a visit to Kyiv is being coordinated.
- U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is set to meet with House Republicans at the Republican Study Committee (RSC) lunch this week to discuss aggressive trade strategies and USMCA improvements.
- AMD’s Instinct MI355X GPUs and Cisco’s Silicon One networking are now live in the Kingdom, marking the largest AMD inference cluster outside the United States.
- The Trump administration continues to leverage 50% tariffs on Canadian goods as a negotiating tool, with Greer defending the "America First" policy amid collapsing bilateral talks.
AMD and Cisco Activate Major AI Hub in Saudi Arabia
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Cisco Systems (CSCO) have officially activated a large-scale AI infrastructure project in Saudi Arabia in partnership with HUMAIN, a company owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). The production deployment currently utilizes AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs and Cisco Silicon One networking to provide GPU-as-a-service for model training and inference.
The partnership is poised for rapid expansion, with the joint venture planning to install up to 250 MW of AI infrastructure by 2027. This next phase will integrate AMD Instinct MI400 Series GPUs, with the ultimate goal of reaching 1 GW of capacity by 2030. Industry analysts view this as a significant move to establish a sovereign AI ecosystem in the Middle East, reducing reliance on Western cloud providers.
Diplomatic Channels Open Between Kyiv and Trump Envoys
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed a detailed telephone conversation on Monday with Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy for peace missions, and Jared Kushner. The discussion focused on the current battlefield situation and the coordination of a high-profile visit by the envoys to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy described the dialogue as "detailed and constructive," emphasizing that the trip would be "very useful for developing solutions for peace." The outreach comes as the Ukrainian team prepares for a new round of talks aimed at securing security guarantees and economic recovery plans.
Trade Ambassador Greer to Brief House Republicans
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is scheduled to meet with the Republican Study Committee (RSC) this week to align on trade priorities. This meeting follows a letter from 168 House Republicans urging Greer to secure significant concessions from Mexico and Canada before extending the USMCA agreement.
Greer remains a central figure in the administration's "year of the tariff," recently defending a 50% tariff on certain Canadian goods. Tensions remain high as negotiations with Ottawa over dairy treatment, procurement rules, and digital services taxes have recently stalled, threatening an all-out trade war.
Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications.