US lawmakers are pushing to let Congress review—and potentially block—AI-chip sales the Trump administration has already approved, the Financial Times reports. The proposals have support from Democrats and Republicans as lawmakers seek tighter controls on sensitive chips reaching China. Source
An administration sign-off would no longer necessarily be Washington’s last word. But these are proposals, not enacted restrictions, and passage this year remains uncertain. Source
The cloud is in lawmakers’ sights, too
According to the FT, the proposed Remote Access Security Act would stop Chinese companies from remotely accessing chips overseas through cloud services, even when they are barred from buying the hardware itself. Source
Why Nvidia’s chip sales are under scrutiny
The proposals were already advancing before the latest Nvidia controversy, the FT reports. The newspaper says the US has been investigating whether Singapore-based Nvidia customer Megaspeed was smuggling chips to China. Lawmakers are demanding answers about Nvidia’s sales to the company. Source
“There’s absolutely increased momentum for this legislation in light of the recent scandal,” Beacon Research analyst Owen Tedford told the FT. Source
House committee chairs John Moolenaar, Brian Mast and Rick Crawford have asked Nvidia founder Jensen Huang, Nvidia General Counsel Tim Teter and Jeffrey Kessler, the commerce official overseeing export controls, to appear before Congress, the FT reports. Source
A possible path through the defense bill
The FT reports that the measures are likely to be attached to the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense authorization bill. Lawmakers are still negotiating the final text. Source
An unnamed Senate Republican aide cautioned the FT that lawmakers might not finish this year: “The list of things to accomplish is long, and time is short.” Source
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