Trump Administration Rescinds Biden's AI Chip Export Restrictions, Promises Simpler Rules

Trump admin to roll back Biden's AI chip restrictions

On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced plans to rescind and replace a Biden-era rule regulating the export of high-end AI accelerator chips worldwide, Bloomberg and Reuters reported. A Department of Commerce spokeswoman told Reuters that officials found the previous framework "overly complex, overly bureaucratic, and would stymie American innovation" and pledged to create "a much simpler rule that unleashes American innovation and ensures American AI dominance." The Biden administration issued the Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion in January during its final week in office. The regulation represented the last salvo of a four-year effort to control global access to so-called "advanced" AI chips (such as GPUs made by Nvidia), with a focus on restricting China's ability to obtain tech that could enhance its military capabilities. News of the planned policy shift immediately affected markets, with shares of Nvidia rising 3 percent after the announcement. Since April, AI chip makers have seen several other stock market swings due to ever-shifting Trump policy announcements related to tariffs, a separate but interrelated issue. The changing face of chip export controls The Biden-era chip restriction framework, which we covered in January, established a three-tiered system for regulating AI chip exports. The first tier included 17 countries, plus Taiwan, that could receive unlimited advanced chips. A second tier of roughly 120 countries faced caps on the number of chips they could import. The administration entirely blocked the third tier, which included China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, from accessing the chips. Commerce Department officials now say they "didn't like the tiered system" and considered it "unenforceable," according to Reuters. While no timeline exists for the new rule, the spokeswoman indicated that officials are still debating the best approach to replace it. The Biden rule was set to take effect on May 15. Reports suggest the Trump administration might discard the tiered approach in favor of a global licensing system with government-to-government agreements. This could involve direct negotiations with nations like the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia rather than applying broad regional restrictions. However, the Commerce Department spokeswoman indicated that debate about the new approach is still underway, and no timetable has been established for the final rule.

Trump administration officially rescinds Biden's AI diffusion rules | TechCrunch

After a week or so of rumors, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) formally rescinded the Biden Administration's Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule days before it was set to go into effect. The Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule, which was introduced by former president Joe Biden in January and set to come into force on May 15, introduced U.S.-made AI chip export limits to many countries for the first time while bolstering existing restrictions. On Tuesday, the DOC announced that it instructed staff not to enforce the Biden-era regulation. The DOC plans to issue a replacement rule in the future, likely focusing on direct negotiations with countries as opposed to blanket restrictions, according to reporting from Bloomberg. Biden's proposed rule divided the world's countries into three tiers, with each tier having its own level of restrictions. Tier 1 countries, like Japan and South Korea, would have continued to face no export restrictions, while Tier 2 regions, which included countries like Mexico and Portugal, would have seen chip export limits for the first time. Tier 3 countries, like China and Russia, would have had to contend with tightened controls. In lieu of new regulations, the DOC on Tuesday released some guidance for the industry. It reminded companies that using Huawei's Ascend AI chips anywhere in the world violates U.S. export rules, warned about the potential consequences of letting U.S. AI chips be used to train AI models in China, and recommended ways to protect chip supply chains from diversion tactics. "The Trump Administration will pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries," U.S. Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffery Kessler said in a statement. "At the same time, we reject the Biden Administration's attempt to impose its own ill-conceived and counterproductive AI policies on the American people."

Trump admin officially rescinds Biden's AI diffusion rules | TechCrunch

After a week or so of rumors, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) formally rescinded the Biden Administration's Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule days before it was set to go into effect. The Artificial Intelligence Diffusion Rule, which was introduced by former president Joe Biden in January and set to come into force on May 15, introduced U.S.-made AI chip export limits to many countries for the first time while bolstering existing restrictions. On Tuesday, the DOC announced that it instructed staff not to enforce the Biden-era regulation. The DOC plans to issue a replacement rule in the future, likely focusing on direct negotiations with countries as opposed to blanket restrictions, according to reporting from Bloomberg. Biden's proposed rule divided the world's countries into three tiers, with each tier having its own level of restrictions. Tier 1 countries, like Japan and South Korea, would have continued to face no export restrictions, while Tier 2 regions, which included countries like Mexico and Portugal, would have seen chip export limits for the first time. Tier 3 countries, like China and Russia, would have had to contend with tightened controls. In lieu of new regulations, the DOC on Tuesday released some guidance for the industry. It reminded companies that using Huawei's Ascend AI chips anywhere in the world violates U.S. export rules, warned about the potential consequences of letting U.S. AI chips be used to train AI models in China, and recommended ways to protect chip supply chains from diversion tactics. "The Trump Administration will pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries," U.S. Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffery Kessler said in a statement. "At the same time, we reject the Biden Administration's attempt to impose its own ill-conceived and counterproductive AI policies on the American people."

Imminent Limits on AI Chip Exports Rescinded by Trump Administration

The so-called AI Diffusion Rule was set to go into effect this week. It's now history. A limitation on exports of AI processors made in the US set to go into effect on May 15 is now rescinded after an order from the Department of Commerce. The AI Diffusion Rule was set in motion at the end of the Joe Biden presidential administration and would have limited the the number of AI processors that could be sold to foreign countries. It was meant to give the United States an edge in the race for global AI technology, but critics, including tech companies, said it would hurt the companies making the processors by capping their sales. The Trump administration's move now lifts restrictions on companies such as Nvidia from selling processors meant for AI applications to other countries including Mexico, China and Russia. "These new requirements would have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements," the DOC said in a statement. "The AI Diffusion Rule also would have undermined U.S. diplomatic relations with dozens of countries by downgrading them to second-tier status." The DOC said it is still warning companies and the public about allowing US-made AI chips to be used for Chinese AI models and is discouraging the use of Huawei Ascend chips specifically for exported products.

Nvidia celebrates dumping of Biden-era AI chip export rules -- simpler new policy promised

The Trump administration intends to cancel the AI Diffusion Rule export control policy, reports Bloomberg. This policy restricts shipments of advanced AI processors to all but 19 countries around the world, and was introduced under the President Biden in January. Details about the revised policy are unclear, but it is believed to focus on country-by-country negotiations over broad global rules, while continuing strict controls on China. Despite the lack of new detail, Nvidia is already celebrating. "The Biden AI rule is overly complex, overly bureaucratic, and would stymie American innovation," a statement by the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security published by Bloomberg reads. "We will be replacing it with a much simpler rule that unleashes American innovation and ensures American AI dominance." The regulation in question, known as the AI diffusion rule, was set to take effect on May 15 and would have categorized foreign nations into three groups for licensing purposes. Under this system, only the U.S. and 18 allied 'Tier 1' countries have full access to processors like Nvidia's H100. Over 100 'Tier 2' nations would face a cap of about 50,000 H100-class GPUs annually over the next few years, unless they obtain verified end user (VEU) status. Note that entities in Tier 2 nations may still import up to 1,700 advanced AI processors per year without a license, which would not count toward the cap. 'Tier 3' countries -- such as China, Russia, and Macau -- would be barred from getting advanced processors entirely due to arms embargoes. Trump officials, however, will not implement the above framework. Instead, they are crafting a new approach focused on bilateral arrangements with countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. To get advanced GPUs, such countries may have to invest in the U.S., or broaden diplomatic cooperation, according to the report. For example, nations like the UAE have advocated for looser rules and have committed to long-term U.S. technology investment, pledging as much as $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years. Until recently, the UAE had to obtain an export license from the U.S. government to obtain advanced AI processors, such as Nvidia's H100 and H200. While the Trump team seeks to revise global export rules for AI processors, it has reinforced restrictions against China's access to advanced AI GPUs designed in the U.S., including AMD's Instinct MI308 and Nvidia's H20. As a result, the two companies had to write down billions worth of AI processors in the most recent quarter. It is unlikely that the U.S. government lifts the ban on these processors, but Nvidia is already celebrating the fact that the AI Diffusion Rule is gone. As a result, it can continue shipping its AI and HPC GPUs to Europe without any restrictions. "We welcome the Administration's leadership and new direction on AI policy," a statement by Nvidia reads. "With the AI Diffusion Rule revoked, America will have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the next industrial revolution and create high-paying U.S. jobs, build new U.S.-supplied infrastructure, and alleviate the trade deficit." Nvidia has argued that controlling sales to non-Chinese nations could alienate allies and drive them to China's Huawei AI ecosystem, thus threatening U.S. leadership in the AI sector in the long term. The change may also benefit U.S. firms with global infrastructure ambitions. For example, Oracle's expansion plans in Malaysia faced potential obstacles under the prior rule due to shipment caps. However, keeping in mind the fact that the Trump administration has a strict stance against China, it is possible that it may curb sales of advanced GPUs to countries used to smuggle Nvidia's H100 processors and servers to China, which includes Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.

Trump to Rescind Chip Curbs After Debate Over AI Rules

The Trump administration plans to rescind Biden-era AI chip curbs as part of a broader effort to revise semiconductor trade restrictions that have drawn strong opposition from major tech companies and foreign governments, according to people familiar with the matter. The repeal, which is not yet final, seeks to refashion a policy launched under President Joe Biden that created three broad tiers of countries for regulating the export of chips from Nvidia Corp. and others. The Trump administration will not enforce the so-called AI diffusion rule when it takes effect on May 15, the people said.

Trump to Rewrite AI Chip Curbs Reviled by Nvidia and US Allies

The Trump administration plans to overhaul regulations on the export of semiconductors used in artificial intelligence, tossing out a Biden-era approach that had drawn strenuous objections from US allies and companies including Nvidia Corp. and Oracle Corp. Under the move announced Tuesday by the Commerce Department, the US is rescinding the so-called AI diffusion rule launched by President Joe Biden that created three broad tiers of access for countries seeking AI chips and would have taken effect May 15. Instead, the Trump administration is drafting its own approach and could shift toward negotiating individual deals with countries, according to people familiar with the matter.

Trump kills Biden-era AI chip export controls

Biden's controversial AI Diffusion rules, which were set to restrict the sale of American GPUs and AI accelerators beginning this week, are officially dead. The US Commerce Department on Tuesday followed through on its earlier promise to rescind the export controls on the basis that they would have "stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements." "The AI Diffusion Rule also would have undermined US diplomatic relations with dozens of countries by downgrading them to second-tier status," the statement read. The Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion, issued in the final days of the Biden administration, aimed to cap the sale of AI chips to most countries outside the US and a select few allies. The hope was the rules would force affected nations to enact security measures to prevent AI imports from being re-exported or smuggled into China. While a few welcomed Biden-era restrictions, many US tech firms have pushed back against the rules, arguing that if countries can't get the AI infrastructure they need from the US, they'll get it from China instead. The Trump administration now plans to blaze its own trail with plans to issue a replacement to the rules...eventually. Beyond some flowery language and nebulous promises to safeguard American national security interests, details remain light. The Commerce Department also issued guidance warning about the dangers of infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) providers turning a blind eye to Chinese model builders setting up shop in their clouds. While the US trade policy has blocked Chinese companies from importing America's most sophisticated chips for years now, they've done little to prevent them from renting the infrastructure they need from cloud datacenters beyond its borders. On Tuesday, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) also issued a clarification to the Export Administration Regulations, warning that chipmakers may be subject to export controls when selling to foreign cloud providers. These regulations already bar US persons - which include American cloud providers and datacenter operators - from knowingly engaging in services or contracts that would advance the development of AI models by adversarial nations for military intelligence or weapons development, without permission. The update clarifies that chipmakers will also require Uncle Sam's blessing before they sell accelerators to foreign IaaS providers, if they know those accelerators may be used by hostile nations for training AI models. Basically, they're reminding chipmakers that if their foreign IaaS clients are caught helping train models for the Chinese military, there will be hell to pay. These controls aren't limited to future exports of AI accelerators either. Going forward, "in-country transfers" of foreign cloud providers' existing GPU stockpiles will require permission, if they know those chips will be used to train enemy AIs. Alongside the guidance, the BIS also warned that using Huawei's Ascend family of AI accelerators anywhere in the world violates US export controls, citing a high likelihood they were made with American tech without a license. They are among China's most potent homegrown alternatives to Nvidia. ®

US scraps Biden-era rule that aimed to limit exports of AI chips

The US commerce department has scrapped a rule put in place by the Biden administration that limited exports of artificial intelligence chips, arguing it was full of red tape that made it "unenforceable", a US official said. The move by the Trump administration comes as it takes a more lenient approach to the regulation of AI and other advanced technologies domestically and contends with the rise of Chinese companies in the sector. Instead of allowing the Biden-era controls to take effect on May 15, the official said the Trump administration would draft a rule that would ensure that US technology flourished without allowing American adversaries to gain access to the technology. The official cautioned that the rule would not be imminent and would take some time to put in place. The "AI diffusion" export controls, introduced in the last days of Joe Biden's presidency, created a three-tier licensing system for AI chips used in data centres, such as Nvidia's powerful graphics processing units. They were aimed at making it harder for Chinese companies to circumvent US export controls by accessing them via third countries. The planned legislation imposed a cap on chip export volumes for all but a small number of countries, which include G7 members and Taiwan. More than 100 countries fell into this "middle" tier. The EU, Nvidia and the wider chip industry criticised the rules, which were undergoing an industry feedback period.

President Biden's rule restricting US AI chip exports has been rescinded

A replacement policy may become tied to ongoing tariff negotiations. President Donald Trump's administration has undone one of the last regulations set by his predecessor. Today, the Department of Commerce the AI Diffusion Rule implemented by former President Joe Biden, a policy that restricted the export of US-made AI chips to select international markets. The rule was introduced by Biden's administration in January and slated to take effect on May 15. Trump had previously the broader AI guidelines adopted by Biden in October 2023 as part of his initial wave of executive orders upon taking office. Although the Department of Commerce is not enforcing the previous AI Diffusion Rule, the Bureau of Industry and Security said it will release a replacement policy at a later date. The press release included three additional actions from the BIS: This sector may become increasingly relevant to the US's international affairs, including with China and potential deals in the Middle East. NVIDIA may be the bellwether for the current administration's approach to the exports of AI infrastructure. The company revealed last month that the federal government is requiring for the export its H20 chips to some regions, including China, Macau, Hong Kong and countries designated as D:5 under the US Arms Embargo.

Trump administration rescinds curbs on AI chip exports to foreign markets

NEW YORK (AP) -- After a week of promises to alter the policy, the U.S. Department of Commerce has rescinded a Biden-era rule due to take effect Thursday that placed limits on the number of artificial intelligence chips that could be exported to certain international markets without federal approval. "These new requirements would have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements," the Commerce Department stated in its guidance. The Biden administration had established the export framework in an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. While the United States had already restricted exports to adversaries such as China and Russia, some of those controls had loopholes and the rule would have set limits on a much broader group of countries. Commerce Undersecretary Jeffery Kessler said Tuesday that the Trump administration work to replace the now-rescinded rule. "The Trump Administration will pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries."

Nvidia welcomes Trump's proposal to rescind global chip restrictions

Donald Trump's administration is expected to rescind Joe Biden's curbs on AI chip sales as part of a broader effort to revise semiconductor restrictions, Bloomberg reported. In a statement, Nvidia said, "We welcome the administration's leadership and new direction on AI policy. With the AI Diffusion Rule revoked, America will have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the next industrial revolution and create high-paying U.S. jobs, build new U.S.-supplied infrastructure, and alleviate the trade deficit." Biden's restrictions on AI chip sales were reminiscent of the days when the PlayStation 2's sales were restricted because its processing power was considered close to that of a supercomputer, and that was dangerous if it fell in the hands of those trying to create nuclear weapons. As such, the restrictions drew opposition from major tech companies and foreign governments, Bloomberg said. The news publication said the repeal is not yet final, but it could lift regulations on the export of chips from Nvidia and others. Trump will reportedly not enforce the AI diffusion rule when it takes effect on May 15. It's perhaps a coincidence that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Trump at the White House earlier this year. Bloomberg said that the change in policy is happening as Trump prepares for a trip to the Middle East, where Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly balked at the curbs on their ability to acquire AI chips. Nvidia's stock price rose in trading today.

White House drops Biden-era export rules aimed at curbing China's chip access

Trump wants to "end past conflicts and forge new partnerships" including in the Middle East According to a new report by the South China Morning Post, the Trump administration is planning to rescind the Biden-era diffusion rule, which was introduced to restrict the spread of AI chips abroad. The announcement came from White House AI and crypto official David Sacks, who revealed the change during the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh. Sacks explained that Saudi Arabia is not considered to be a national security risk, calling for more open tech exports between trusted partners. The diffusion rule was part of Biden's effort to block AI chip access to countries of concern, most notably China. China's military and AI capabilities were the primary cause for concern, with the White House previously worried that the country could use US-build semiconductors to advance its own technology. However, Sacks explained that the rule has been affecting allies unnecessarily. Now that the US is seeking closer tech ties with Middle Eastern nations, accelerated by much lower tariffs than those imposed on China, export rules must change. "The Trump administration has just announced that we will be rescinding what's known as the Biden diffusion rule ... it literally restricted the diffusion or proliferation of American technology all over the world," Sacks said. Critics also argued that, with the export rules in place, countries were being forced to source tech from China due to the more favorable pricing and fewer restrictions. "As I have shown repeatedly, I am willing to end past conflicts and forge new partnerships for a better and more stable world, even if our differences may be very profound," Trump explained in an address at the event.

Here's why Trump killing the 'AI diffusion rule' is a win for chipmakers

The U.S. government plans to withdraw a rule introduced under the Biden administration that had aimed to restrict exports of advanced AI chips -- a policy that had posed challenges for major semiconductor companies like Nvidia (NVDA) and AMD (AMD). "The Biden AI rule is overly complex, overly bureaucratic and would stymie American innovation," a spokeswoman from the Commerce Department said in a statement. The Trump administration intends to issue a revised version of the rule, which was set to come into effect on May 15. This process could take months to finalize, sources told Axios. The regulation in question -- titled the Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion -- would have limited exports of AI chips to over 100 countries. These restrictions aimed to prevent countries from bypassing U.S. export controls, particularly in relation to China. Chipmakers had criticized the rules, however. They argued it would give an advantage to Chinese competitors, such as Huawei, as they develop and sell their own AI hardware, foregoing an opportunity to ensure that much of the world would rely on American technology. The rule would have affected Nvidia's ability to sell its high-demand graphics processing units, or GPUs, in markets such as India, Mexico, Singapore, and Switzerland. The shift could reflect a relaxing stance toward regulating AI, offering a momentary boon for chipmakers. Since Bloomberg first reported the reversal on Wednesday, Nvidia and AMD stocks have gained 4.4% and 3.4%, respectively. But any respite could prove temporary, and obstacles persist when it comes to accessing the crucial Chinese market. Nvidia's most powerful chips, including the A100 and H100, are already banned from export to China, as a result of Biden-era restrictions. Last month the Trump administration also introduced new license requirements for less powerful chips by Nvidia and AMD in order to comply with export controls. Nvidia said these requirements on its H20 chips had resulted in a $5.5 billion hit to its quarterly earnings, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The company's earnings are scheduled to be released May 28.

US reverses Biden-era export controls on advanced AI chips

Washington (AFP) - The United States rescinded further export controls Tuesday on advanced computing semiconductors, answering calls by countries that said they were being shut out from crucial technology needed to develop artificial intelligence. The so-called "AI diffusion rule," set to take effect on May 15, was part of a series of actions taken by then-President Joe Biden just before leaving office in January that sought to make it harder for Beijing to access advanced technology. "The Trump Administration will pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to share American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler. Kessler criticized the previous administration's approach, adding: "We reject the Biden Administration's attempt to impose its own ill-conceived and counterproductive AI policies on the American people." Washington has expanded its efforts in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that these can be used to advance Beijing's military systems and otherwise undermine American dominance in AI. Biden's proposed rule aimed to avert any circumvention of chip supply to China from other countries. The Commerce Department said the rule would have damaged American innovation and diplomatic relations with numerous countries that would have been "downgraded to second-tier status." The rule divided the world's countries into three tiers, with each tier having its own level of restrictions. Top tier countries, like Japan and South Korea, would have continued to face no export restrictions, while Tier 2 regions, which included countries like Mexico and Portugal, would have seen a cap on the amount of chips they could receive. Some US lawmakers feared the cap would have incentivized countries to go to China for AI chips, spurring the superpower's development of state-of-the-art technology. Chipmakers, including Nvidia and AMD, lobbied against the tiered restrictions and saw their share prices rise last week when the Trump administration indicated it would rethink the rule. As an alternative, the Commerce Department reminded AI actors that using Huawei Ascend, the Chinese tech giant's most advanced chip, violated US export controls. It also issued a warning about potential consequences of allowing US AI chips to be used for training Chinese AI models.

After backlash, US scraps Biden administration's curb on AI chip exports - SiliconANGLE

After backlash, US scraps Biden administration's curb on AI chip exports The Trump administration is planning to overhaul regulations set by the Biden administration that would limit how many artificial-intelligence chips countries can purchase from the U.S. The regulations, which were to go into effect May 15, were designed to limit AI advancement in certain nations - "non-trusted actors" - with an emphasis on ensuring those chips don't get to China. Called "AI Diffusion", the regulation was controversial, with chip giant Nvidia Corp. calling the move "unprecedented and misguided." Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp. were also unenamoured with the rule, saying it would hamper business opportunities abroad without reaching its intended goal: hurting China. "The Biden AI rule is overly complex, overly bureaucratic, and would stymie American innovation," a spokesperson for the Commerce Department said today. "We will be replacing it with a much simpler rule that unleashes American innovation and ensures American AI dominance." The news will come as a boon for Nvidia and other U.S. tech firms whose business depends on fluid chip sales to other countries. No sooner than the plan was announced, Nvidia's stocks rose 3%, but later dipped to 0.7%. The company will still face tight export controls, as evident in the $5.5 billion charge it was hit with for selling advanced chips to China. "We welcome the Administration's leadership and new direction on AI policy," an Nvidia spokesperson said today. "With the AI Diffusion Rule revoked, America will have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the next industrial revolution and create high-paying U.S. jobs, build new U.S.-supplied infrastructure, and alleviate the trade deficit." The Commerce Department explained that the tiered rule could be scrapped altogether, calling it "unenforceable." It would have put 17 countries in the first tier, which would be able to receive an unlimited number of chips. 120 nations were in the second tier, which would each receive a cap on chip imports, while tier three countries, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, were to be blocked completely. It's reported that the current administration is considering replacing this with individual agreements between each nation, while introducing a global licensing regime. It seems there will be upcoming trade talks in which countries can bargain for better tariffs if they agree to keep chip restrictions.

Trump administration rescinds curbs on AI chip exports to foreign markets

NEW YORK -- Responding to complaints from the tech industry and other countries, the U.S. Department of Commerce has rescinded a Biden-era rule due to take effect Thursday that placed limits on the number of artificial intelligence chips that could be exported to certain international markets without federal approval. "These new requirements would have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements," the Commerce Department stated in its guidance. President Joe Biden established the export framework shortly before he left office in an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. While the United States had already restricted exports to adversaries such as China and Russia, some of those controls had loopholes and the rule would have set limits on a much broader group of countries, including Middle Eastern countries that President Donald Trump is visiting this week. The Biden rule's sorting more than 100 countries into different tiers of export restrictions drew strong opposition from those countries, as well as U.S. chipmakers like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices. They argued the restrictions could actually push some countries to turn to China instead of the U.S. for their AI technology. What Biden's rule did "was send a message to 120 nations that they couldn't necessarily count on us to provide the AI they want and need," said Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, at a U.S. Senate hearing last week. Commerce Undersecretary Jeffery Kessler said Tuesday that President Donald Trump's administration will work to replace the now-rescinded rule to pursue AI with "trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries." The administration said a replacement rule is coming in the future but hasn't said what the new rule will say. The European Commission welcomed the change, said spokesperson Thomas Regnier, arguing that the Biden rule, if it took effect, would "undermine U.S. diplomatic relations with dozens of countries by downgrading them to second-tier status." European Union countries should be able to buy advanced AI chips from the U.S. without limitations, Regnier said. "We cooperate closely, in particular in the field of security, and represent an economic opportunity for the U.S., not a security risk," he said in a statement.

Trump administration rescinds curbs on AI chip exports to foreign markets

NEW YORK (AP) -- After a week of promises to alter the policy, the U.S. Department of Commerce has rescinded a Biden-era rule due to take effect Thursday that placed limits on the number of artificial intelligence chips that could be exported to certain international markets without federal approval. "These new requirements would have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements," the Commerce Department stated in its guidance. The Biden administration had established the export framework in an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. While the United States had already restricted exports to adversaries such as China and Russia, some of those controls had loopholes and the rule would have set limits on a much broader group of countries. Commerce Undersecretary Jeffery Kessler said Tuesday that the Trump administration work to replace the now-rescinded rule. "The Trump Administration will pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries."

Trump Administration Rescinds Curbs on AI Chip Exports to Foreign Markets

NEW YORK (AP) -- After a week of promises to alter the policy, the U.S. Department of Commerce has rescinded a Biden-era rule due to take effect Thursday that placed limits on the number of artificial intelligence chips that could be exported to certain international markets without federal approval. "These new requirements would have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements," the Commerce Department stated in its guidance. The Biden administration had established the export framework in an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. While the United States had already restricted exports to adversaries such as China and Russia, some of those controls had loopholes and the rule would have set limits on a much broader group of countries. Commerce Undersecretary Jeffery Kessler said Tuesday that the Trump administration work to replace the now-rescinded rule. "The Trump Administration will pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries." Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Trump administration rescinds Biden AI chip export rule

The Commerce Department on Monday officially rescinded the former Biden administration's artificial intelligence diffusion rule that would have placed caps on chip sales to most countries around the world. The Bureau of Industry and Security, in a release published Tuesday, said the Biden-era rule, which was supposed to go into effect Thursday, would "have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements." Except for 18 U.S. allies and partners, the sweeping AI diffusion rule established caps on chip sales to all other countries. It was announced in the last few days of the Biden administration and was the final move in the former administration's push to prevent AI chips from ending up in the hands of foreign adversaries. BIS officials were instructed not to enforce the diffusion rule Monday. "The Trump Administration will pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries," said Jeffrey Kessler, undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security. "At the same time, we reject the Biden Administration's attempt to impose its own ill-conceived and counterproductive AI policies on the American people," he added. David Sacks, the White House AI and crypto czar, said last week Biden's rule alienated key U.S. allies and overreached on export control authority. The BIS said it plans to issue a replacement rule in the future. Several technology companies including Microsoft and Nvida urged Trump to loosen the rule once he was back in office. At the same, the BIS also announced new guidance to strengthen export controls for overseas AI chips. This included guidance stating the use of Huawai Ascend chips anywhere in the world violates U.S. export controls. Huawai has previously been targeted for the company's close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The BIS also issued guidance to warn about the potential consequences of allowing U.S. AI chips to be "used for training and interference of Chinese AI models," and information for U.S. companies on how to protect supply chains against diversion tactics. Concerns spiked over China's AI development earlier this year, when the Chinese AI company DeepSeek released a high-performing and cheaply built AI model that drew comparisons to OpenAI's models.

Trump Looks To Repeal Biden Chip-Export Curbs Set To Take Effect Soon

Kara Greenberg is a senior news editor for Investopedia, where she does work coordinating, writing, assigning, and publishing multiple daily and weekly newsletters. Prior to joining Investopedia, Kara was a researcher and editor at The Wire. Earlier in her career, she worked in financial compliance and due diligence at Loomis, Sayles & Company, and The Bank of New York Mellon. The Trump administration plans to repeal Biden-era chip curbs that were set to take effect later this month and expand limits on exports of American chips. The "AI diffusion rule," published in January and set to go into effect on May 15, would further tighten restrictions on sales of American AI hardware to other countries, but Trump plans to rescind the rule. The news was first reported by Bloomberg late Wednesday. "The Biden AI rule is overly complex, overly bureaucratic, and would stymie American innovation. We will be replacing it with a much simpler rule that unleashes American innovation and ensures American AI dominance," a spokesperson for the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security said in a statement to Investopedia. The Commerce Department is expected to continue enforcing export limits currently in effect while it develops a new set of restrictions to replace the diffusion rule, according to Bloomberg's report. =Advanced Micro Devices said yesterday it expects to take a $1.5 billion revenue hit in 2025 due to tighter restrictions on its chip sales to China -- a bigger impact than analysts expected.

Trump Plan to Undo Chip Curbs Is Win for Nvidia -- But Not for Long, Analysts Warn

Jefferies said Trump's new chip curbs could take a long time to implement, expecting his administration to follow a government-to-government approach and leverage them in tariff negotiations. The Trump administration's reported plans to repeal Biden-era chip-export curbs that were set to take effect later this month would be a win for Nvidia (NVDA) and other chipmakers. But their relief could prove temporary, analysts warned. A spokesperson for the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security told Investopedia Wednesday that the administration intends to replace the rule with other restrictions -- which Citi and Deutsche Bank analysts warned could be stricter than Biden's. "While this news is a welcome relief to AI related semi names in the near-term, as the complexity of the AI Diffusion rule is removed, we still believe the U.S. government's overriding goal to restrict access to AI semis remains unchanged," Deutsche Bank analysts wrote Wednesday. In a note to clients Thursday, Jefferies analysts said they expect the Trump administration to take a government-to-government approach to new rules, as it has said it will do with tariffs, and use AI chip-export limits as leverage in ongoing tariff negotiations, potentially extending the time needed to roll out new rules. "We won't know the details for some time," Jefferies said, leaving Nvidia and other chipmakers a longer window to sell products that haven't been restricted yet, but also with a great deal of uncertainty. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The news comes just weeks after Nvidia said it expects to take a $5.5 billion hit to its fiscal first-quarter results, due for release May 28, after the U.S. implemented a licensing requirement for Nvidia to sell its H20 chips to China. The Biden AI diffusion rule, if allowed to take effect and enforced, would potentially lower Nvidia's earnings by another 11% to 14% in a worst-case scenario, according to Bank of America Securities estimates. Shares of Nvidia were up nearly 1% in recent trading Thursday but have lost close to 12% of their value since the start of the year as worries about the trajectory of AI spending and export restrictions weighed on the stock. "In the interim expect volatility to reign supreme," Deutsche Bank said.

Trump administration to rescind and replace Biden-era global AI chip export curbs

The Trump administration plans to revise a Biden-era regulation on AI chip exports, deeming it overly complex and a hindrance to American innovation. The proposed changes aim to simplify the rules, potentially replacing the tiered system with a global licensing regime. This move could impact companies like Nvidia and reshape the landscape of AI technology access worldwide.US President Donald Trump's administration plans to rescind and modify a Biden-era rule that curbed the export of sophisticated artificial-intelligence chips, a spokeswoman for the Department of Commerce said on Wednesday. The regulation was aimed at further restricting AI chip and technology exports, dividing up the world to keep advanced computing power in the United States and among its allies while finding more ways to block China's access. The Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion was issued in January, a week before the end of the administration of former President Joe Biden. It capped a four-year effort by the Biden administration to hobble China's access to advanced chips that could enhance its military capabilities and to maintain US leadership in AI. "The Biden AI rule is overly complex, overly bureaucratic, and would stymie American innovation," the Commerce spokeswoman said. "We will be replacing it with a much simpler rule that unleashes American innovation and ensures American AI dominance." Last week, Reuters reported the Trump administration was working on changes to the rule that would limit global access to AI chips, including possibly doing away with its splitting the world into tiers that help determine how many advanced semiconductors a country can obtain. According to the Commerce spokeswoman, officials "didn't like the tiered system" and said the rule was "unenforceable." The spokeswoman did not have a timetable for the new rule. She said debate was still under way on the best course of action. The Biden rule was set to take effect on May 15. Shares of Nvidia, an AI chip designer whose sales could rise if the rule were changed to increase exports, ended 3% higher after the news came out on Wednesday, but then dipped 0.7% in after-hours trade. The Biden rule divided the world into three tiers: 17 countries and Taiwan were in the first tier, which could receive unlimited chips. Some 120 other countries were in the second tier, which was subject to caps on the number of chips the countries could receive. In the third tier, countries of concern including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea were blocked from the chips. But Trump administration officials are weighing discarding the tiered approach to access in the rule and replacing it with a global licensing regime with government-to-government agreements, sources told Reuters last week. (Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa in Bengaluru and Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Anil D'Silva, Chris Sanders and Matthew Lewis)

US reverses Biden-era export controls on advanced AI chips

The United States has withdrawn a planned AI chip export control rule, originally set to limit access for certain countries. The decision, made by the Trump administration, followed backlash over potential diplomatic strain and harm to innovation. Chipmakers welcomed the move, while Washington reaffirmed restrictions on aiding China's AI development.The United States rescinded further export controls Tuesday on advanced computing semiconductors, answering calls by countries that said they were being shut out from crucial technology needed to develop artificial intelligence. The so-called "AI diffusion rule," set to take effect on May 15, was part of a series of actions taken by then-President Joe Biden just before leaving office in January that sought to make it harder for Beijing to access advanced technology. "The Trump Administration will pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to share American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries," said under secretary of commerce for industry and security Jeffrey Kessler. Kessler criticised the previous administration's approach, adding: "We reject the Biden Administration's attempt to impose its own ill-conceived and counterproductive AI policies on the American people." Washington has expanded its efforts in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that these can be used to advance Beijing's military systems and otherwise undermine American dominance in AI. Biden's proposed rule aimed to avert any circumvention of chip supply to China from other countries. The commerce department said the rule would have damaged American innovation and diplomatic relations with numerous countries that would have been "downgraded to second-tier status." The rule divided the world's countries into three tiers, with each tier having its own level of restrictions. Top tier countries, like Japan and South Korea, would have continued to face no export restrictions, while tier 2 regions, which included countries like Mexico and Portugal, would have seen a cap on the amount of chips they could receive. Some US lawmakers feared the cap would have incentivized countries to go to China for AI chips, spurring the superpower's development of state-of-the-art technology. Chipmakers, including Nvidia and AMD, lobbied against the tiered restrictions and saw their share prices rise last week when the Trump administration indicated it would rethink the rule. As an alternative, the commerce department reminded AI actors that using Huawei Ascend, the Chinese tech giant's most advanced chip, violated US export controls. It also issued a warning about potential consequences of allowing US AI chips to be used for training Chinese AI models.

Trump admin scraps Biden-era AI chip export curbs, vows new global strategy to counter China

In a sweeping reversal of U.S. export policy on artificial intelligence technology, the Trump administration has rescinded a Biden-era rule that was set to take effect Thursday, which would have placed strict caps on the number of advanced AI chips exported to dozens of countries without prior federal approval. The move, confirmed by the Department of Commerce on Tuesday, comes after a week of strong signals from the Trump administration that it planned to significantly alter or eliminate the rule. The now-withdrawn regulation -- officially called the Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion -- was issued in January during the final days of President Joe Biden's term. It represented a culmination of the previous administration's four-year strategy to limit China's access to high-performance chips and prevent their use in military applications. "These new requirements would have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements," the Commerce Department said in its updated guidance. The Biden rule divided the world into a three-tier system. Seventeen countries -- including all NATO members, Japan, and Taiwan -- were classified in the top tier and faced no export caps. A second tier of over 120 countries would have faced limits on chip quantities, while adversarial nations like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea fell into the third tier and were effectively blocked from receiving U.S.-made AI chips. However, officials in the Trump administration argued the tier-based framework was both "unworkable" and "bureaucratic." According to a Commerce Department spokeswoman quoted in a Reuters report last week, the rule was deemed "unenforceable" and would be replaced by a "much simpler rule that unleashes American innovation and ensures American AI dominance." Commerce Undersecretary Jeffery Kessler confirmed on Tuesday that the Trump administration is developing a replacement strategy focused on a global licensing regime that would facilitate AI technology exports to trusted countries through direct government-to-government agreements. "The Trump Administration will pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to share American AI technology with trusted partners around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries," Kessler said. While the Biden-era framework aimed to thread a needle between national security and economic competitiveness, critics within the current administration said it risked hurting American companies in rapidly growing global AI markets. Major chip manufacturers such as Nvidia could stand to benefit significantly from the rollback, with shares of the company rising 3% on Wednesday after reports of the rule's imminent withdrawal, before dipping slightly in after-hours trading. The Biden export control regime was part of a broader campaign to prevent U.S.-developed AI chips -- a critical input for military systems, surveillance technologies, and advanced computing -- from strengthening China's capabilities. However, Trump officials now suggest that export oversight can be better managed through diplomatic channels, rather than rigid global quotas. Despite the rollback, Commerce officials emphasised that restrictions will remain in place for adversarial states such as China and Russia, with a new rule currently in the works. The timeline for unveiling the new policy remains uncertain, though discussions on a licensing-based framework are said to be ongoing, according to sources cited by Reuters. (With inputs from Reuters, AP)

Trump administration to rescind and replace Biden's AI chip export curbs

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration plans to rescind and modify a rule introduced by his predecessor that curbed the export of sophisticated artificial intelligence chips, a spokeswoman for the Department of Commerce said on Wednesday. The regulation was aimed at further restricting AI chip and technology exports, dividing up the world to keep advanced computing power in the United States and among its allies while finding more ways to block China's access. The Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion was issued in January, a week before the end of the administration of former President Joe Biden. It capped a four-year effort by the Biden administration to hobble China's access to advanced chips that could enhance its military capabilities and to maintain U.S. leadership in AI.

President Trump's Version of the "AI Diffusion" Rule Will Target China's AI Capabilities; Using Huawei's Chips Now Considered a Violation

The US Bureau of Industry and Security has released new guidance on the "revised" AI Diffusion Rule, which will focus on China's AI capabilities. There's no doubt that under the influence of US export controls, China has managed to upgrade its AI capabilities massively, and a prime example of this is DeepSeek's achievements along with Huawei's strides in the hardware department. While the US has managed to restrict the flow of cutting-edge chips into the nation, this has made China a lot more capable, and to counter this, the AI Diffusion rule will likely come after the nation's AI assets. Under the new press release issued by the BIS, it seems like the focus will be on thwarting the influence of Chinese AI chips and models. The Trump Administration will pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries. At the same time, we reject the Biden Administration's attempt to impose its own ill-conceived and counterproductive AI policies on the American people. - US Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffery Kessler The report claims that the AI Diffusion rule will focus on three targets, the first of which is to restrict Huawei's Ascend chips. This is probably the first time we have seen mention of the AI chips in official documents, and this shows how far Huawei has come with its Ascend AI lineup. It is revealed that the use of Ascend accelerators anywhere in the world will be considered a violation of US export control, which shows that the Trump administration doesn't want these chips to end up anywhere apart from China, limiting their scope of influence. Secondly, the use of US AI chips, particularly from NVIDIA, to train Chinese AI models will now be much more scrutinized. This could be done by integrating "tracking features" into NVIDIA chips to see where they end up. This is very much a possibility now, given that a bill to implement this is now with the US Senate, so it won't be long before we see AI chips coming with location tracking features or even a kill switch. The revised AI Diffusion rule certainly won't be as harsh as during the Biden era. It seems like a key focus here is to prevent Huawei's expansion to offshore markets, which could prove to be a massive threat to NVIDIA.

Donald Trump Plans Overhaul of Semiconductor Export Policy, Tightens Focus on China

Since 2022, the U.S. has introduced increasingly stringent measures aimed at curbing China's access to advanced AI technologies. | Credit: Win McNamee / Getty Images. The Trump administration is preparing to repeal Biden's regulatory measure on AI chip exports as part of a broader effort to reshape global semiconductor trade. The significant shift in strategy for regulating AI is seen as a potential victory for American semiconductor makers who have long criticized the policy. Trump's Semiconductor Overhaul Originally due to take effect on May 15, the Trump administration will no longer enforce the Biden administration's three-tier export control framework for advanced U.S. semiconductors. In its place, a new regulatory policy is reportedly being drafted , emphasizing negotiations with Saudi Arabia and other strategic nations. The Biden-era framework categorized countries into three tiers based on their strategic relationship with the U.S., offering near-unrestricted access to allies like the U.K. (Tier 1), while banning exports to adversaries like China (Tier 3). However, now the Trump administration plans to abandon this structure. The administration's new export control strategy will reportedly focus on bilateral agreements, particularly with nations like Saudi Arabia. "The Biden AI rule is overly complex, overly bureaucratic, and would stifle American innovation," the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security said in a statement to Reuters. "We will be replacing it with a much simpler rule that unleashes American innovation and ensures American AI dominance," they added. The AI Diffusion Rule Commonly called the "AI Diffusion Rule," the Biden-era regulation was designed to safeguard U.S. high-performance AI technology from falling into adversaries' hands. It required companies to implement strict security protocols, including detailed record-keeping and compliance reporting. Critics argued the policy imposed excessive red tape, limiting U.S. competitiveness in a fast-moving global market. The policy faced opposition from major chipmakers, including Nvidia , which argued that the rule hindered domestic innovation. Nvidia recently criticized Amazon-backed AI startup Anthropic for defending the regulation. "American firms should focus on innovation and rise to the challenge, rather than tell tall tales that large, heavy, and sensitive electronics are somehow smuggled in 'baby bumps' or 'alongside live lobsters,'" a spokesperson for Nvidia said. China Remains the Central Concern The core of the regulatory debate centers on preventing U.S. technology from reaching China. Since 2022, the U.S. has introduced increasingly stringent measures aimed at curbing China's access to advanced AI technologies. The AI Diffusion Rule, issued during Biden's final week in office, expanded these restrictions globally. The policy barred direct exports and indirect transfers and re-exports of sensitive AI-related components to China, even when routed through third countries. Despite opposition to the rule, the Trump administration has signaled that it still plans to enforce strict measures against countries like Thailand that have allegedly diverted semiconductors to China.

Trump administration to rescind 'overly complex' Biden-era curbs on...

President Trump's administration plans to rescind and modify a Biden-era rule that curbed on the export of sophisticated artificial intelligence chips, a spokeswoman for the Commerce Department said Wednesday. The regulation was aimed at further restricting AI chip and technology exports, dividing up the world to keep advanced computing power in the United States and among its allies while finding more ways to block China's access. The Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion was issued in January, a week before the end of the administration of former President Joe Biden. It capped a four-year effort by the Biden administration to hobble China's access to advanced chips that could enhance its military capabilities and to maintain US leadership in AI. "The Biden AI rule is overly complex, overly bureaucratic, and would stymie American innovation," the Commerce spokeswoman said. "We will be replacing it with a much simpler rule that unleashes American innovation and ensures American AI dominance." Last week, Reuters reported that the Trump administration was working on changes to the rule that would limit global access to AI chips, including possibly doing away with its splitting the world into tiers that help determine how many advanced semiconductors a country can obtain. According to the Commerce spokeswoman, officials "didn't like the tiered system" and said the rule was "unenforceable." The spokeswoman did not have a timetable for the new rule. She said debate was still under way on the best course of action. The Biden rule was set to take effect on May 15. Shares of Nvidia, an AI chip designer whose sales could rise if the rule were changed to increase exports, ended 3% higher after the news came out on Wednesday, but then dipped 0.7% in after-hours trade. The Biden rule divided the world into three tiers: 17 countries and Taiwan were in the first tier, which could receive unlimited chips. Some 120 other countries were in the second tier, which was subject to caps on the number of chips the countries could receive. In the third tier, countries of concern including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea were blocked from the chips. But Trump administration officials are weighing discarding the tiered approach to access in the rule and replacing it with a global licensing regime with government-to-government agreements, sources told Reuters last week.

Trump officials likely to allow Biden-era AI chip export rule to lapse - Jefferies By Investing.com

Investing.com - U.S. President Donald Trump administration is likely to allow a Biden-era rule curbing some artificial intelligence chip exports to lapse, according to analysts at Jefferies. The regulations, which were issued a week prior to the end of former President Joe Biden's term in the White House earlier this year, were designed to restrict AI chip and technology exports to enhance U.S. computing capabilities and hobble those of rivals like China. On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Trump officials plan to rescind and modify the regulations, which were due to take effect on May 15. A spokeswoman for the Commerce Department told Reuters that "the Biden AI rule is overly complex, overly bureaucratic, and would stymie American innovation". She added that it will be replaced by "a much simpler rule", Reuters added. Previous media reports had suggested that the White House was looking to specifically do away with the Biden rule's dividing of the world into separate tiers that would determine their access to cutting-edge AI chip exports from the U.S. Under the Biden rule, the world would be separated into three tiers. Taiwan and 17 countries would be included in the first, and would have unlimited access to AI chips. Around 120 other countries would be in a second tier that would face more export caps, while a third -- which folded in China, Russia, North Korea, Iran -- were totally barred from the receiving the processors. The Commerce Department spokeswoman called this system "unenforceable", although she did not provide a timeline for the implementation of a new rule, Reuters said. Some Trump officials are considering replacing the tiered system with a global licensing regime that would allow for agreements to be secured by individual governments, Reuters reported. In a note to clients, the Jefferies analysts said this approach would help Trump combine advanced chip access with his ongoing reciprocal tariffs to "maximize the U.S.'s bargaining power" in negotiations with other countries. However, they noted that "the final details of government-to-government deals could take longer to finalize". Shares in U.S. AI chip giant Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and peer Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) were higher in premarket trading on Thursday. The stocks rose on Wednesday following the Reuters report.

Towards a lifting of restrictions on AI chips?

The information was published by Bloomberg News: Donald Trump is reportedly considering lifting some of the restrictions on the export of artificial intelligence chips. An idea that, on paper, seems rather puzzling when we remember that the president recently tightened these same rules, causing a $5.55 billion loss in revenue for Nvidia, while a new Chinese competitor is stepping up the pressure. So there is no question of opening the floodgates to AI. In reality, several scenarios are on the table. It remains to be seen which one will be chosen. As we said, there will be no simple or straightforward reversal. Trump is concerned about the development of Chinese AI, led by DeepSeek, and is unlikely to suddenly adopt a conciliatory stance. The most logical scenario remains a cancellation of the rules put in place by Joe Biden, not to lift the restrictions, but to redraw the contours in his own way. In short: to regain control of the narrative. However, he is likely to seek to relax certain points after repeated complaints from key players in the sector, such as Nvidia and Microsoft. Another, even more Trumpian option is tariffs. The tariff threat, still up his sleeve, could return to the forefront. The president had mentioned an investigation into a possible sector-specific tariff mechanism, promising to unveil its findings quickly. Since then? Radio silence. Everything suggests that a new wave of tariffs targeting American tech, AI chips, smartphones, computers, and the like could be in the works.