McCormick Challenges Trump Over U.S. AI Chip Export Decision to China

Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., questioned President Donald Trump’s decision to allow the export of Nvidia’s H200-class artificial intelligence chips to China as part of broader negotiations on agricultural market access.

At the Aspen Institute this week, McCormick expressed concern about the administration’s policy, stating: “I’m concerned. I’m not clear on why that is the right path for us, and I want to be convinced because I keep asking the question.”

McCormick rejected the administration’s claim that providing China with controlled, reduced-capability chips would slow Beijing’s technological advancements. “I don’t think that’s been the experience,” he said. “I think you can count on China to be doing everything in its power to develop its own independent capacity, and that America’s position should be, in my opinion, doing everything we can to maintain a lead.”

He added: “It appears to me that by exporting those chips, it’s not clear to me how that would in any way slow their advances, and it seems more likely that it would accelerate them.”

McCormick cited his co-sponsorship of the GAIN AI Act and the SAFE Chips Act as a direct response. He explained these measures are designed to “put brakes on” such exports while Congress evaluates national security implications.

The senator emphasized maintaining U.S. leadership in advanced computing is central to competition with China: “I certainly see the need to maintain leadership, and I want to do everything I can to make sure America remains at the forefront of this important battle.”

The administration’s export decision applies to an H200-series chip that is a reduced-power version of Nvidia’s top data-center hardware. This chip meets U.S. export-control rules because its interconnect speed, performance ceiling, and scalability are capped below thresholds defining restricted high-end systems.

Industry analysts describe the chip as functional but not top-tier, noting it was engineered specifically to comply with national security limits while still allowing limited commercial sales to China. Supporters of the decision argue controlled sales may stabilize trade channels without granting China access to cutting-edge capabilities. Critics contend even reduced-power chips can accelerate China’s domestic AI development—particularly in training mid-scale systems supporting military and state-directed projects.

McCormick remained open to administration briefings but stated he does not see the strategic benefit of the current policy.