U.S. panel advances chip law
A U.S. House committee advanced the Chip Security Act aimed at curbing smuggling of AI semiconductors to China and ending special access for certain Chinese firms — a tightening of export controls lawmakers say will block high‑performance hardware flows. The move signals faster legislative pressure on semiconductor supply chains and compliance regimes. (tribuneindia.com) (digitimes.com)
The House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced H.R.3447, the Chip Security Act, during a full-committee markup on March 26, 2026 and recorded a 42‑0 tally after a voice vote, sending the measure to the House floor. (foreignaffairs.house.gov) (bloomberg.com) H.R.3447 was introduced May 15, 2025 by Rep. Bill Huizenga and lists cosponsors including Reps. Bill Foster, John Moolenaar, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Eric Crawford, Ted Lieu, Darin LaHood, and Josh Gottheimer. (congress.gov) The bills direct the Commerce Secretary to issue standards requiring “chip security mechanisms” on covered integrated‑circuit products and explicitly contemplate location‑verification features as part of those mechanisms. (congress.gov) (s.1705 text) Senate companion S.1705, introduced May 8, 2025 by Sen. Tom Cotton, specifies that the Secretary must establish location verification requirements within 180 days of enactment. (congress.gov) (govinfo.gov) Congressional text and committee statements make anti‑diversion reporting a named obligation for exporters, and reporting rules under the measure would target major chip designers cited by lawmakers — including Nvidia and AMD — as obliged to strengthen export controls. (bloomberg.com) (foreignaffairs.house.gov) The committee’s push followed a high‑visibility Justice Department indictment unsealed March 19, 2026 charging three people with conspiring to divert U.S.‑assembled servers with Nvidia processors to China — prosecutors allege the scheme involved billions in restricted hardware and was central to lawmakers’ urgency. (justice.gov) (bloomberg.com) Sen. Elizabeth Warren publicly joined Cotton as a co‑sponsor in February 2026, marking bipartisan Senate backing as H.R.3447 moves toward a House floor vote while a parallel Senate bill remains in committee. (senate.banking.senate.gov) (congress.gov)
