Overview
- House Foreign Affairs Committee members advanced two bipartisan measures to tighten control of advanced chip exports, and the push already has a bipartisan companion in the Senate.
- The AI Overwatch Act would let Congress review and block export licenses within 30 days for sales to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela, while pausing current licenses until the administration submits a risk plan.
- The Chip Security Act would require exported high‑end chips to include a method to verify a chip’s physical location and to report any chip found at an unauthorized site, closing a diversion gap after approved sales.
- White House AI czar David Sacks has publicly opposed the review bill, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is lobbying against tighter limits, arguing the measures would hurt U.S. companies more than they restrain China.
- The bills still must pass the full House and Senate and secure the president’s signature, and past license rules on Nvidia’s H20 chips in April 2025 show how such controls can saddle chip makers with large costs.