Two U.S. Congress members urge the administration to consider placing export restrictions on artificial intelligence chips manufactured by Nvidia, alleging that a Chinese AI company has heavily relied on them. John Moolenaar, a Republican, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, who chair the House Select Committee on China, made this request as part of a review initiated by Trump to reassess the U.S. export control system amid developments involving strategic adversaries.
In a letter addressed to National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, they highlighted the potential national security benefits of subjecting Nvidia’s H20 and similar chips to export controls. They expressed concern over reports that a sophisticated AI model recently unveiled by DeepSeek extensively utilized Nvidia’s H20 chip, which currently falls outside the realm of U.S. export controls.
The letter underscores mounting worries in Washington over China's swift advancements in AI, with DeepSeek's announcement that its new AI assistant requires less data at a lower cost than competitors potentially signaling a shift in AI investment requirements.
The U.S. harbors apprehensions that China might exploit AI for aggressive cyber activities or even develop bioweapons. Consequently, former President Joe Biden has initiated measures to restrict China's access to AI chips and related technologies.
DeepSeek and the White House have not responded to requests for comments. Nvidia stated its products "comply with all government requirements" and expressed willingness to collaborate with the Administration's AI strategy.
Reports emerged that Trump's administration, inaugurated on January 20, is contemplating additional restrictions on H20 chips by Nvidia, which are utilized for AI applications and were engineered to align with existing U.S. export limitations concerning shipments to China.