Top Senate Democrats Challenge Trump’s AI Chip Export Policy to China

Senior Democratic senators, including Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren, have urged former President Trump to reconsider a controversial arrangement allowing Nvidia and AMD to sell advanced AI chips to China in exchange for a 15% commission. The lawmakers argue this undermines U.S. national security by transferring critical technological advantages to a strategic competitor.

The dispute centers on Nvidia's H20 and AMD's MI308 chips, which senators claim could enhance China's military capabilities—an assertion Nvidia strongly denies. "The H20 WOULD not enhance anyone’s military capabilities," a company spokesperson countered, suggesting the ban instead harms America's position in the global AI race.

This confrontation highlights growing tensions between commercial interests and national security priorities in semiconductor trade. The senators' letter frames technological leadership as a zero-sum game: "Our national security relies upon maintaining qualitative advantage in sensitive domains."