A group of U.S. lawmakers is urging former President Donald Trump, who is currently leading the Republican nomination race, to consider imposing further restrictions on Nvidia’s AI chips. This comes amid concerns that the Chinese AI firm DeepSeek is utilizing these chips to enhance its artificial intelligence capabilities. The push for stricter export controls highlights the increasing bipartisan pressure to limit China’s access to advanced U.S. technology
. In a letter sent to Trump and key policymakers, the lawmakers pointed out that, despite existing trade restrictions, Chinese companies might still be obtaining high-performance Nvidia chips, like the H100 and A800, through loopholes and intermediaries. They stressed the national security risks tied to China developing advanced AI models that could potentially be used for military or surveillance purposes.
“Nvidia’s AI chips are a vital asset in the global technology race, and we must ensure that they do not end up in the hands of entities that could use them against U.S. interests,” the letter asserted.
DeepSeek, one of China’s top AI firms, has been ramping up its AI research, competing with U.S. companies such as OpenAI and Google DeepMind. The company recently introduced its DeepSeek-V2 model, raising concerns about whether it has utilized restricted U.S. technology.
The Biden administration had previously tightened export regulations in late 2023 to prevent Nvidia and other U.S. chipmakers from selling advanced AI chips to China without a special license. However, reports suggest that Chinese firms have been stockpiling AI chips and discovering alternative methods to access restricted hardware.
Trump has not yet publicly addressed the lawmakers’ request, but his previous stance on China indicates he may be in favor of additional restrictions.
During his presidency, Trump implemented tariffs and export bans on Chinese tech giants, including Huawei. The discussion surrounding Nvidia’s chips is anticipated to be a significant issue in the ongoing U.S.-China tech tensions, as Washington aims to preserve its competitive advantage in artificial intelligence.
