Elon Musk, the billionaire tech entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceX, announced on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia has approved the use of his satellite internet service, Starlink, for aviation and maritime sectors. He expressed gratitude to the Kingdom for this approval during the Saudi-US Investment Forum, which coincided with a visit led by the White House.

Starlink aims to provide high-speed internet connectivity, particularly in underserved and mobile areas. The approval is expected to significantly benefit Saudi Arabia’s transport and logistics sectors. In addition to this development, Musk highlighted his broader ambitions for the region, indicating interest in introducing Tesla’s self-driving cars to Saudi roads.

While Musk did not provide a specific launch date for the self-driving vehicles, he stated, “I think it would be very exciting to have autonomous vehicles here in the kingdom, indeed, if you’re amenable.” Furthermore, he revealed that he had previously showcased several of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots to both President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Tesla positions its robots and self-driving vehicles as integral to its future profitability, although the Optimus model is still under development and faces significant competition in the robotics industry. The high-profile forum highlighted the growing cooperation between the US and Saudi Arabia in emerging technologies, bringing together Trump and a delegation of US tech executives focused on artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and defense.