The U.S. will use its newly created Pax Silica initiative -- an effort alongside Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the U.K., Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Australia to strengthen the silicon supply chain -- as an opportunity to harmonize economic security tools, said Jacob Helberg, the State Department's undersecretary for economic affairs.
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., has asked the Commerce Department to explain how the Trump administration arrived at its decision to allow Nvidia to sell its advanced H200 AI chip to China (see 2512080059), the panel said Dec. 16.
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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.
The Commerce Department should use its upcoming AI exports program as an opportunity to address export licensing delays within the Bureau of Industry and Security, technology companies and trade groups told the agency in public comments this month.
Mouser Electronics, one of several firms sued this week in a Texas state court for allegedly not doing enough to ensure the semiconductor parts they sell don't end up in Russian or Iranian hands (see 2512110054), said they will respond to the matter in court. “We deeply respect the legal process and will respond to this matter in court, versus the media,” said Kevin Hess, senior vice president of marketing at Mouser Electronics.
The U.S. government appears to be focusing more heavily on adding entities to the Pentagon’s Chinese military company list, and Chinese companies are growing increasingly concerned about being added, lawyers said.
The Council of the European Union presidency and European Parliament negotiators agreed this week on a set of updated foreign direct investment screening rules (see 2506170024), including a minimum scope of industries that should be subject to investment screening.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Dec. 11 urged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to testify on Capitol Hill in response to the Trump administration allowing sales of the company's more advanced H200 AI chips to China. Warren said during a floor speech that she is concerned that President Donald Trump may force DOJ to curtail a crackdown begun earlier this week on smuggling of such chips to China (see 2512090022). “Will Donald Trump muzzle his own [DOJ] because he does not want Americans to know that he is selling out our national security?” she asked. The White House, Commerce Department and Nvidia didn't immediately comment.
A group of Ukrainian nationals on Dec. 10 accused Intel, Texas Instruments, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Mouser Electronics of not doing enough to ensure the semiconductor parts they make don't end up in Russian or Iranian hands (Shumylo v. Texas Instruments, Tex. # 25-09714).