House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., said Jan. 16 that he would “advise” President Donald Trump against allowing Nvidia to sell H200 AI chips to China.
Although the Trump administration plans to allow Nvidia H200 chips to be exported to China, a White House official stressed last week that those exports will be closely scrutinized and that the U.S. will continue to restrict exports of the most leading-edge American chips and technology. Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, also said he doesn’t believe the Bureau of Industry and Security needs any additional authorities from Congress to boost its export control implementation or enforcement powers.
Citing economic and national security concerns, a panel of experts called on lawmakers Jan. 14 to overturn the Trump administration’s decision last month to allow Nvidia to export its H200 AI chips to China (see 2512080059).
Chinese customs authorities have informed customs agents this week that Nvidia's H200 chips aren't permitted to enter the country, Reuters reported Jan. 14. Chinese government officials also informed domestic technology companies that they shouldn't purchase the chips "unless necessary," the report said.
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Jan. 14 welcomed the Bureau of Industry and Security’s new license review policy for certain chip exports to China (see 2601130073), saying the agency took a “good step” by requiring companies like Nvidia to prioritize U.S. customers.
The U.S. is planning to impose a 25% tariff on imports of certain advanced chips that are then exported elsewhere, the White House said Jan. 14.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is easing its license review policy for certain chip exports to China but requiring exporters to meet several pre-conditions, including by certifying that there is “sufficient supply” of the chip in the U.S. and that the chips will be subject to “rigorous” know your customer procedures.
Reps. Jefferson Shreve, R-Ind., and Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., introduced a bill Jan. 9 aimed at bolstering the technical staffing of the Bureau of Industry and Security.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is easing its license review policy for exports of Nvidia H200 chips and their equivalents that are destined to China and Macau, BIS said in a final rule released Jan. 13 and effective Jan. 15. License applications for those chips will be reviewed under a case-by-case policy instead of a presumption of denial as long as the semiconductors set to be exported are commercially available in the U.S. and the exporter can attest to several certifications, including that there is “sufficient supply” in the U.S.; the chip has “sufficient security procedures”; that production of the chip won’t “divert global foundry capacity for similar or more advanced products for end users in the United States”; the chip had undergone third-party testing; and more.
The Bureau of Industry and Security reached a $1.5 million settlement this week with an international procurement company after its Shanghai affiliate admitted to illegally transferring low-level semiconductor equipment to a Chinese company on the Entity List.