A group of U.S. Senators from both parties introduced a new bill on Thursday to stop the Trump administration from making it easier for China to buy advanced artificial intelligence chips. The group includes prominent Republican Tom Cotton, and their proposal aims to keep strict export rules in place for the next two and a half years.
Republican Senator Pete Ricketts and Democrat Chris Coons introduced the SAFE CHIPS Act. If passed, the law would force the Commerce Department to reject any license requests from buyers in China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea for AI chips more powerful than what they are currently allowed to own. This ban would last for 30 months. After that period, the Commerce Department would need to brief Congress at least one month before trying to change the rules again.
This bill highlights a specific disagreement between Donald Trump and members of his own party. It comes as the administration thinks about allowing Nvidia to sell its powerful H200 chips to Beijing. Security hawks in Washington worry that China will use these prized American chips to upgrade its military weapons and surveillance systems. Senator Ricketts stated that denying Beijing access to the best American chips is essential for national security. The move also comes amid a trade dispute over resources.
China recently restricted exports of rare earth metals, which are necessary for making electronics. In an attempt to negotiate, Trump’s team previously rolled back some curbs on Nvidia’s H20 chips and delayed other export restrictions.
However, supporters of the new bill argue that loosening the rules is a mistake. Greg Allen, an adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the bill is just common sense. He argues that the U.S. cannot stop China from pursuing its own path to tech independence, but America shouldn’t sell them the technology that would make that process faster and easier.
