Sept 22 (Reuters) - Two of the world's largest

chipmakers, TSMC and Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ),

have discussed building potential chip projects in the United

Arab Emirates in coming years which could be worth more than

$100 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Top executives at TSMC have visited the UAE recently and

talked about a plant complex on par with some of the company's

largest and most advanced facilities in Taiwan, WSJ said citing

people familiar with the interactions.

South Korea-based Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ), a maker of

smartphones, TVs and memory chips, is also considering major new

chip-making operations in the country in the years ahead, the

paper said citing unnamed sources.

Samsung declined to comment on the WSJ report, while TSMC

did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment.

Senior figures at Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF ) visited UAE recently

and discussed the idea, WSJ reported, adding that the

discussions were still in the early phases and may face

technical and other hurdles.

Under initial terms being discussed, the projects would be

funded by the UAE, with a central role for Abu Dhabi-based

sovereign development vehicle Mubadala, according to WSJ.

The paper added that the broader goal would be to increase

global chip production and help bring prices down without

hurting chip-makers' profitability.

As tech deals in the region speed up, Washington has become

increasingly concerned about the UAE and other Middle Eastern

countries becoming a conduit for advanced U.S. AI technology

reaching China.