U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to grant Nvidia licenses to ship some of its more powerful artificial intelligence chips to China is ruffling the feathers of some of Washington's most prominent China hawks, including members of his own party.
The pushback intensified this week with the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee advancing a bill that seeks to expand congressional oversight of AI chip exports.
The proposal, known as the AI Overwatch Act, was introduced last month by Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., the committee chairman.
It would require both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Banking Committee to approve any shipment licenses for advanced chips in 30 days, giving lawmakers the power to block sales through a joint resolution.
The bill comes as the Trump Administration plans to grant licenses allowing Nvidia to sell its H200 chips to China, which are far more powerful than the processors previously permitted for export.
If passed, the AI Overwatch Act would revoke existing licenses for such AI chip transfers and impose a temporary ban until the administration submits a national security strategy on AI exports. It includes exemptions for "trusted" U.S. companies shipping chips abroad under U.S. control, provided they meet security standards.
"Companies like Nvidia are requesting to sell millions of advanced AI chips, which are the cutting edge of warfare, to Chinese military companies like Alibaba and Tencent ," said Chairman Mast, framing it as a national security risk.
The bill was also cosponsored by the Republican Chairman of the Select Committee on China, Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., who called it a "critical step toward protecting America's technological edge."
Still, it remains unclear the extent of support that the AI Overwatch Act can attract in the House and Senate.
Disagreement in Washington
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