Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said he met with President Donald Trump on Wednesday and that the two men discussed chip export restrictions, as lawmakers consider a proposal to limit exports of advanced artificial intelligence chips to nations like China.
“I’ve said it repeatedly that we support export controls, and that we should ensure that American companies have the best and the most and first,” Huang told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Lawmakers were considering including the Guaranteeing Access and Innovation for National Artificial Intelligence Act in a major defense package, known as the National Defense Authorization Act. The GAIN AI Act would require chipmakers like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices to give U.S. companies first pick on their AI chips before selling them in countries like China.
The proposal isn’t expected to be part of the NDAA, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Huang said it was “wise” that the proposal is being left out of the annual defense policy bill.
“The GAIN AI Act is even more detrimental to the United States than the AI Diffusion Act,” Huang said.
Nvidia’s CEO also criticized the idea of establishing a patchwork of state laws regulating AI. The notion of state-by-state regulation has generated pushback from tech companies and spurred the creation of a super PAC called “Leading the Future,” which is backed by the AI industry.
“State-by-state AI regulation would drag this industry into a halt and it would create a national security concern, as we need to make sure that the United States advances AI technology as quickly as possible,” Huang said. “A federal AI regulation is the wisest.”
Trump last month urged legislators to include a provision in the NDAA that would preempt state AI laws in favor of “one federal standard.”
But House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) told CNBC’s Emily Wilkins on Tuesday the provision won’t make it into the bill, citing a lack of sufficient support. He and other lawmakers will continue to look for ways to establish a national standard on AI, Scalise added.
WATCH: Nvidia currying favor to be able to sell chips in China
