Cross-Border Innovation: Structuring, Regulating, and Resolving Tech-Driven Deals Between the GCC and California

To be presented at DUBAI ARBITRATION WEEK 2025

As the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and the UAE move forward with transformative bilateral technology and infrastructure partnerships—backed by over $600 billion in announced investments—companies across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are poised to deepen engagement with Silicon Valley.

These tech-sector alliances are increasingly structured around AI infrastructure, sovereign partnerships, and access to advanced U.S. chips, creating a new commercial and legal corridor between California and the Gulf. As such, Silicon Valley is becoming the commercial and legal hub for these deals. With most contracts governed by California law and calling for arbitration seated in San Francisco or Santa Clara, it is essential that GCC companies and investors understand the legal, regulatory, and dispute resolution landscape that underpins their partnerships with U.S. tech and finance. Yet many GCC-based companies, investors, and counsel remain unfamiliar with the intersection of California’s legal, regulatory, and dispute resolution frameworks.

This 60-minute panel brings together voices from technology, venture capital, and international arbitration to discuss what GCC companies, startups, investors, and legal counsel need to know when entering deals with U.S. tech partners—particularly as artificial intelligence, fintech, green tech, semiconductors, and dual-use R&D drive cross-border collaboration. The conversation will also examine emerging risks that threaten deal execution and contract stability, including jurisdictional complexity, regulatory shifts, and sovereign counterparty concerns.