The lawmakers’ letter to National Security Advisor Mike Waltz urges swift action to protect American leadership in AI and safeguard national security. Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party called for tightening export controls on semiconductor chips critical to the AI infrastructure of the Chinese company DeepSeek. The lawmakers highlighted concerns over DeepSeek’s privacy policy, which allows for data to flow to China, and the company’s use of Nvidia’s H800 chip, designed to fall outside existing U.S. export controls.
They stressed the need for frequently updated export controls to prevent China from exploiting regulatory gaps and advancing its AI ambitions.
Lawmakers urge tighter AI export controls
Moolenaar advocated for strong export controls on technology underpinning DeepSeek’s model and measures to block the company’s operations in the United States, citing serious national security concerns given DeepSeek’s rapid growth and perceived control by the Chinese Communist Party.
Krishnamoorthi emphasized that safeguarding American AI innovation is crucial and that export controls and AI innovation must go hand-in-hand. He stated, “If we want to outcompete the CCP in AI, we must protect our lead, safeguard Americans’ data, and use common sense.”
The lawmakers urged a review of Nvidia’s H20 chip and similar advanced semiconductor chips that currently fall outside U.S. export controls. They also called for strict licensing requirements to prevent transshipment of these chips through third countries like Singapore to China.
The urgency of these measures is underpinned by the growing presence of Chinese AI systems in the U.S. market and the need to protect U.S. users’ data from being acquired by these systems, which could further enhance the capabilities of China’s AI.
Image Credits: Photo by Alexandre Debiève on Unsplash
