US drafting tighter AI chip export rules
The US is reportedly drafting a new semiconductor export-control framework that would further restrict high-end AI hardware exports—especially to China and other sensitive regions—according to industry reports reported. The move follows prior controls and could reshape where chips are designed, verified, and fabricated—raising compliance and onshoring questions for hardware teams.
Leaked draft reportedly set rollout thresholds: shipments up to 1,000 Nvidia GB300 GPUs would undergo a “fairly simple review,” exports above 200,000 GB300 equivalents would require host‑country involvement, and large approvals could demand business‑model disclosures or U.S. site visits and “matching” investments. globaltradeandsanctionslaw.com The draft was posted to the OMB/OIRA site as “pending review” on Feb. 26 and was formally withdrawn from interagency review on March 13, 2026, according to Reuters and Bloomberg reporting. investing.com Reporting said the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security had already shifted H200 licensing in January 2026 from a presumption‑of‑denial approach to case‑by‑case review, and that Nvidia paused H200 production for China amid regulatory pressure. globaltradeandsanctionslaw.com Markets priced in the draft: NVIDIA shares slipped about 1.7–1.8% and AMD fell roughly 2% when initial reports circulated, and analysts noted the proposal would expand existing country‑specific controls (about 40 countries under prior rules) into a global licensing framework. analyticsinsight.net
