According to Axios, the U.S. Department of Commerce is drafting new regulations to expand federal regulatory review of AI chip exports, but the draft is currently facing resistance from the White House. A senior White House official revealed that US President Trump has clearly opposed any restrictive intervention similar to that of the previous administration. As chip giants such as Nvidia and AMD seek to further expand overseas markets, the draft seeks to give the government broader control over overseas exports of AI chips.
White House officials pointed out in response to the draft that its content failed to reflect Trump’s policy guidance on export controls and encouraging the export of U.S. AI technology. Another administration official added that the regulations are still in the "very early stages" and that any future steps taken by the administration will be strictly consistent with the White House's existing AI action plan. It is reported that this 129-page draft is the sixth version prepared by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). After being signed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, it was sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) last week. OMB has until next Thursday to provide feedback on the final results of the interagency review.
The core requirement of the draft is that foreign buyers must obtain permission from the U.S. government. This provision has aroused great concern in the industry. Industry insiders call this draft the "Proliferation 2.0" version of previous restrictive policies and criticize its excessive intervention, which may substantially damage the global competitiveness of U.S. companies. The rules on the proliferation of AI technology previously established by the Biden administration were officially revoked by Trump last year. At this stage, Trump is more inclined to use AI chip exports as a strategic bargaining chip in bilateral negotiations with other countries, and prefers to maintain a certain degree of dynamic control over technology output. The U.S. Department of Commerce also confirmed on Thursday that the government is currently discussing successful experiences in promoting technology exports in the Middle East with a view to formalizing the relevant models.