Smoke billows from Jebel Ali port after a reported Iranian attack in Dubai on March 1, 2026.
Fadel Senna | AFP | Getty Images
Nvidia, Amazon and alphabet Some major tech companies are scrambling to ensure the safety of their employees traveling or based in the Middle East in the wake of last weekend’s joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.
A major attack on Iran killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and others, and Iran retaliated with attacks on Israeli and US military bases across the Gulf. The conflict has disrupted civilian life, internet access within Iran, air routes, and energy transportation across the region.
Semiconductor technology leader Nvidia has temporarily closed its Dubai office and employees are working remotely, according to an email seen by CNBC.
Fan said in the memo that NVIDIA’s crisis management team in the Middle East, including approximately 6,000 NVIDIA employees based in Israel, is “working around the clock and actively supporting affected employees and their families.”
In 2019, Nvidia acquired Mellanox, an Israeli company that makes Ethernet switches and other networking hardware, for about $7.13 billion. This was the largest deal in Nvidia’s history at the time. And now, Israel is Nvidia’s largest research and development site outside of the United States.
As of Tuesday morning, all Nvidia employees and their immediate families affected by the conflict were safe, Huang said.
“NVIDIA has deep roots in this region,” Huang wrote. “Thousands of our colleagues live there, and many more family and friends around the world are affected by these events. Like you, I watch with great concern for the safety of our NVIDIA family.”
“Please leave now.”
The State Department said Monday that Americans should “exit now” from Middle Eastern countries using available commercial transportation, citing “serious security risks.” By Tuesday afternoon, the agency said it was working to secure military aircraft and charter flights to evacuate Americans from the region amid heightened instability.
Dozens of Google employees are stranded in Dubai after a sales conference due to air traffic disruptions, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential matters.
The company’s cloud division held an Accelerate sales kickoff in Dubai last week.
A memo was sent to some Cloud employees Sunday morning, noting that team members are still on site and adding that the recent attacks are “concerning,” according to the employees, who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters.
Most employees have left the area, but dozens remain stranded there, officials said.
After the attack on Iran, airlines experienced mass cancellations. More than 11,000 flights to the Middle East have been canceled since last weekend’s U.S. and Israeli attacks, according to aviation data firm Cirium.
Google said the majority of affected employees are regional rather than U.S.-based. It added that it had put security and safety measures in place for its employees in the Middle East and advised employees to follow guidance from local authorities.
“The situation in the Middle East is rapidly evolving and we are closely monitoring it,” a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We are focused on the safety and health of our employees in this region.”
Middle East technology hub
Dubai is the regional hub for Google’s cloud and sales operations across the Middle East and North Africa. Last year, Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed visited Google’s offices to see the company’s latest AI efforts.
The strike-hit city of Tel Aviv in central Israel is also Google’s main base. The search giant is building a massive new headquarters in the ToHa2 tower, which is expected to become one of its largest global sites.
Google did not immediately respond to questions about how its Tel Aviv-based operations and employees have been affected by the Iran conflict.
Amazon, which has increased its presence in the Middle East in recent years, is also making changes to its operations in the region in response to growing conflicts there.
The company has instructed all employees in the Middle East to work remotely and “follow local government guidelines.”
“The safety of our employees and partners remains our top priority, and we are working closely with our local teams and local governments to ensure their support,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.
Amazon operates corporate offices in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Turkey, and Israel. It also operates warehouses and data centers across the region, and in the UAE operates ‘Quick Commerce Outlets’ with delivery within 15 minutes.
Its vast data center site became a flashpoint in Sunday’s conflict. Two data centers in the UAE were “directly hit” by drones, while a facility in Bahrain was also damaged by a nearby drone attack.
After firefighters extinguished the sparks and fire, the facility suffered structural damage, power outages and some water damage. The site remains offline and some Amazon Web Services applications, including popular virtual server and database services, continue to experience problems.
AWS recommended that customers consider backing up their data or moving their workloads to other regions.
“Despite efforts to restore these facilities, the broader operating environment in the Middle East remains uncertain as conflict continues in the region,” AWS said.
social media company snap told CNBC that it is asking employees at its four offices in the Middle East to work remotely until further notice.
The company said it is advising its employees to follow the advice of local authorities regarding shelter-in-place orders and evacuation orders.
— CNBC’s Jonathan Vanian contributed to this report
WATCH: Iran has far more drones than initially expected
