US lawmaker demands details on Trump's decision to allow Nvidia H200 chip sales to China

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (chair of the House China select committee) sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick seeking the analysis behind the Trump administration’s decision to permit Nvidia to sell H200 AI chips to China. He argues that the policy shift risks eroding the U.S. advantage in aggregate AI compute—treating raw compute access as the true “engine of progress,” regardless of per-chip efficiency claims. The letter also points to reports that Huawei’s purported gains relied on chips allegedly obtained through intermediaries, framing that as a reason to tighten—not loosen—controls. The episode underscores how AI hardware export policy is becoming a fast-moving battleground where national security, industrial competitiveness, and supply constraints collide, and where each incremental allowance can reshape China’s near-term training capacity.