Copyright The New York Times
As President Trump flew to South Korea on Wednesday to prepare for a summit with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, he made some remarks that set off alarm bells among Washington officials concerned about America’s rivalry with China. “We’ll be speaking about Blackwell,” Mr. Trump said of his meeting with Mr. Xi, referring to the most advanced artificial intelligence chip from the U.S. chipmaker Nvidia. Mr. Trump called the technology a “super duper chip”; complimented Nvidia’s chief executive, Jensen Huang; and declared, “We’re about 10 years ahead of anybody else in chips.” Mr. Trump’s comments signaled a major potential change for U.S. policy that many Washington officials warn poses a national security risk. Selling such advanced A.I. chips to China is currently banned, and U.S. officials have worked for years to restrain Beijing’s access to the cutting-edge technology. The president’s reversal, if it comes to pass, would have widespread implications. Nvidia, which has emphasized the importance of maintaining access to the Chinese market, would reap new sales. But critics have argued that A.I. technology is important enough to potentially shift the balance of power in a strategic competition between the United States and China. On Wednesday, speculation that the Trump administration may imminently approve the sale of those chips to China mobilized opposition from critics inside and outside the White House and in Congress. Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, said on CNN that the reports “alarmed” him. “The defining fight of the 21st century will be who controls artificial intelligence,” he said. “It would be a tragic mistake for President Trump, in order to get some soybean orders out of China, to sell them these critical cutting-edge A.I. chips.” Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
