OpenAI privately supports three bills restricting chip exports to China

According to Beating AI news, OpenAI has privately expressed support to U.S. lawmakers this week for three bills aimed at limiting China's access to advanced AI chips and manufacturing equipment. This is not the first time OpenAI has supported chip restrictions against China. Last year, the company advocated for limiting U.S. companies from selling high-end chips to China but later stopped pushing Congress for stricter measures. OpenAI's leadership has been concerned that publicly supporting tighter chip export restrictions to China would anger Jensen Huang and damage their partnership with NVIDIA.

OpenAI has a close relationship with NVIDIA. NVIDIA not only supplies GPUs but also supports OpenAI's data center construction through substantial financing guarantees. Jensen Huang has long lobbied Washington for a relaxation of chip sales restrictions to China. The stance of AI company Anthropic has been more pronounced. In September of this year, the company directly withdrew from an industry association in opposition to the association's obstruction of chip regulation bills.

The three bills supported by OpenAI require strengthening chip tracking, limiting the supply of chip manufacturing equipment to China, and increasing congressional scrutiny of sensitive chip export licenses. Jensen Huang resigned on November 12, impacting NVIDIA's lobbying influence in Washington. Bipartisan lawmakers are working to incorporate these restrictions into the year-end National Defense Authorization Act.