U.S. Eases AI Chip Export Controls to China in Strategic Pivot

The Trump administration has rolled back Biden-era tech export restrictions, notifying Nvidia and AMD that certain AI processors can now be sold to Chinese developers. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick framed the move as a calculated strategy to maintain U.S. technological dominance while creating dependency—"getting Chinese developers addicted to American technology" without transferring cutting-edge capabilities.

This policy shift has drawn criticism from China hawks in Congress as preparations intensify for a potential Trump-Xi summit. The relaxation of H20 chip restrictions could pave the way for broader tech negotiations, with observers like Interconnected Capital's Kevin Xu speculating about a possible "tech grand bargain" encompassing semiconductor fabrication tools and related technologies.