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Nvidia Warns U.S. GAIN AI Act Could Harm Competition, Echoes AI Diffusion Rule

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Nvidia criticized the proposed GAIN AI Act on Friday, warning that it would restrict global competition and hurt the U.S. economy much like last year’s AI Diffusion Rule, which limited the export of high-performance chips.

The Guaranteeing Access and Innovation for National Artificial Intelligence Act, introduced as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, would require AI chipmakers to prioritize domestic orders before fulfilling foreign contracts. Exporters would also need licenses to ship chips above certain performance thresholds, specifically processors rated 4,800 or higher in total computing power.

In a statement, Nvidia argued the law addresses a non-existent issue:

“We never deprive American customers in order to serve the rest of the world. In trying to solve a problem that does not exist, the proposed bill would restrict competition worldwide in any industry that uses mainstream computing chips.”

The Act mirrors the AI Diffusion Rule enacted under President Joe Biden, which rationed computing capacity among allies while cutting off rivals like China. Both measures reflect Washington’s effort to secure U.S. access to advanced silicon and limit China’s AI capabilities, particularly amid concerns about its military applications.

The debate comes just weeks after President Donald Trump struck a deal with Nvidia allowing the company to resume certain AI chip exports to China in exchange for the U.S. government receiving a cut of sales—an unprecedented arrangement underscoring the geopolitical stakes around advanced semiconductors.

If enacted, the GAIN AI Act could reshape the global AI hardware supply chain, tightening U.S. control over who gets access to the most powerful chips.

ByteDance Shifts Chip Design Staff to Singapore Unit Amid U.S.-China Tensions

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Chip designers at ByteDance, many based in Beijing and Shanghai, were surprised last week to learn they are officially reporting into a Singapore unit, according to three people familiar with the matter. The change became clear when staff were reassigned into a new group on the company’s internal messaging system.

Analysts suggest the restructuring could help ByteDance navigate U.S.-China trade restrictions on semiconductor access. Since late 2023, U.S. rules have barred mainland Chinese firms from using Taiwan’s TSMC to manufacture advanced AI chips above certain performance thresholds. Shifting oversight to Singapore may allow ByteDance more flexibility in securing partnerships and production.

ByteDance, best known globally for TikTok, has been expanding into proprietary chip design since 2022, developing application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) to reduce reliance on suppliers like Nvidia. The company has worked with Broadcom on AI processors intended for TSMC fabrication, though it does not currently outsource manufacturing to the Taiwanese firm.

The Singapore entity may be linked to Picoheart, a ByteDance subsidiary registered in December 2023. Picoheart drew notice last year when it acquired a 9.5% stake in Chinese memory chipmaker Innostar. Singapore also hosts TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew and some of ByteDance’s largest data centers.

So far, ByteDance’s chips are limited to inference tasks, such as video decoding and networking, rather than the more computationally intensive AI training workloads where rivals like Alibaba and Baidu have advanced further. Job postings indicate ByteDance is still hiring for its AI chip team as it tries to catch up in the strategic semiconductor race.

Trump to Hit Semiconductor Imports with Tariffs Unless Firms Build in U.S.

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President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration will impose tariffs on semiconductor imports from companies that do not move production to the United States. Speaking ahead of a dinner with top tech CEOs, Trump said the tariffs would be “fairly substantial” but would not apply to companies already investing in U.S. manufacturing.

Trump framed the move as part of his broader strategy of using tariffs to pressure foreign companies and governments to shift production and jobs into the U.S. “If they are not coming in, there is a tariff,” he said. He singled out Apple CEO Tim Cook, noting that Apple’s $600 billion commitment to domestic investment puts it “in pretty good shape.”

The policy comes as global chipmakers respond to U.S. pressure. Taiwan’s TSMC, South Korea’s Samsung, and SK Hynix have all announced major U.S. semiconductor plant investments. Trump had previously floated a 100% tariff on imported chips but said exemptions would apply for companies producing or planning facilities inside the country.

The announcement underscores Trump’s second-term emphasis on tariffs as a cornerstone of economic and foreign policy, a tool he has wielded to renegotiate trade terms and gain leverage in geopolitical disputes. However, legal challenges loom: lower courts have invalidated parts of his earlier tariff regime, and the administration has asked the Supreme Court to uphold the sweeping emergency powers used to justify them.