Trump plans to use AI chips as a new bargaining chip in trade negotiations.

On April 30, three insiders reported that the Trump administration is working to change a regulation from the Biden era that restricts countries around the world from obtaining artificial intelligence chips. Potential changes include eliminating the classification of different countries into several tiers to help determine how much advanced semiconductor access a country can obtain. Sources say these plans are still being discussed and caution that they may change. However, if implemented, it could open the door to using U.S. chips as a more powerful bargaining tool in trade negotiations. The previous regulation was issued in January this year and aimed to classify the usage rights of cutting-edge AI chips and control the weights of certain models to keep the most advanced computing capabilities in the U.S. and its allies. Currently, the rule divides the world into three tiers. Sources say Trump administration officials are considering abandoning the tiered access approach in the rule in favor of a global licensing system through intergovernmental agreements. ( Jin10 )