Senate Democrats Seek Details on Sale of Nvidia H200 Chips to China
A group of seven Democratic senators led by Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asked the Commerce Department Dec. 12 for more information about President Donald Trump’s decision to allow Nvidia to sell advanced H200 AI chips to China (see 2512080059), including how the agency will ensure that “restricted end users,” such as entities linked to China’s military, don't get to use the semiconductors.
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The senators also want to know how many H200s will be approved for export to China and over what time period, whether Commerce would allow Chinese AI startup DeepSeek to buy H200s, how the agency will ensure U.S. companies get first dibs on the chips if the supply is limited, and how Trump’s decision will affect the ability of U.S. allies to coordinate and maintain export controls.
In a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the senators request answers to a total of 12 questions by Dec. 19.
The letter reiterates the concern of many lawmakers that Trump’s decision could help China catch up to the U.S. in AI (see 2512090050). "The president’s dangerous decision to give away critical national security controls represents a significant departure from longstanding bipartisan efforts to ensure that U.S. technology does not turbocharge China’s military and technological capabilities," the senators wrote. China "seeks Nvidia's H200s chips to develop and deploy AI systems, including for military and cyber operations."
The letter also suggests that allowing the sale of H200s to China doesn't square with the Justice Department’s recent move to charge a group of individuals and companies for illegally exporting the same chips to China (see 2512090022). Warren has said she’s concerned Trump might try to “muzzle” DOJ on the national security risks of China’s access to H200s (see 2512110064).
Besides Warren, the letter is signed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; and Sens. Andy Kim, D-N.J.; Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; Tim Kaine, D-Va.; and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.
Commerce didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, but White House spokesperson Kush Desai said, “The Trump administration is committed to ensuring the dominance of the American tech stack -- without compromising on national security.”
An Nvidia spokesperson said the company doesn't supply China's military and will limit its H200 sales in China to commercial customers that Commerce has vetted and approved. The company spokesperson also said that Nvidia is managing its supply chain "to ensure that licensed sales of the H200 to authorized customers in China will have no impact on our ability to supply customers in the United States."