We show that abstract Cuntz semigroups form a closed symmetric monoidal category. Thus, given Cuntz semigroups S and T , there is another Cuntz semigroup S, T playing the role of morphisms from S to T . Applied to C * -algebras A and B, the semigroup Cu(A), Cu(B) should be considered as the target in analogues of the UCT for bivariant theories of Cuntz semigroups.Abstract bivariant Cuntz semigroups are computable in a number of interesting cases. We also show that order-zero maps between C * -algebras naturally define elements in the respective bivariant Cuntz semigroup.