The US may revive a push for export controls on sales of Nvidia's advanced AI chips to China, The Information reported. In late October 2026, White House officials gave congressional staff feedback on export control measures under consideration in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a move interpreted as a sign the Trump administration may not seek to block the bill as it has in the past, people familiar with the matter said. Meanwhile, US Commerce Department staff have again pushed in recent weeks for rules in two areas — lithography tools and preventing Chinese companies from remotely accessing advanced AI chips — but Commerce leadership has not followed through.

What the policy covers

The export control measures under review and being pushed by Washington span two tracks:

  • Export control provisions under consideration in the NDAA. In late October 2026, White House officials gave congressional staff feedback on those measures. People familiar with the matter read the Trump administration's willingness to communicate on the bill as a signal it may not seek to block it as it has in the past.
  • New rules the Commerce Department is pushing. According to current and former Commerce officials, department staff have again pushed in recent weeks for rules in two key export control areas: lithography tools, a critical part of the semiconductor supply chain, and restrictions aimed at preventing Chinese companies from remotely accessing advanced AI chips made by Nvidia and other companies.

Who would be affected

Based on the report, the measures could touch:

  • Export activity involving sales of Nvidia's advanced AI chips to China.
  • Lithography tools, a critical part of the semiconductor supply chain.
  • Chinese companies seeking remote access to advanced AI chips made by Nvidia and other companies.
  • Third-party buyers caught up in reviews of chip flows, such as Singapore AI firm Megaspeed International Pte.

Timeline

  • Late October 2026: White House officials give congressional staff feedback on export control measures under consideration in the NDAA.
  • Recent weeks: Commerce Department staff again push for rules on lithography tools and remote access restrictions.
  • Mid-November 2025: An Nvidia spokesperson responds on the Megaspeed checks.

What to watch

Whether the rules ultimately land remains uncertain. The current and former officials said Commerce leadership has previously failed to act on efforts to draft new export control policy and may again delay this time.

The report said one backdrop to the latest export control push is mounting concern over chip smuggling. Bloomberg previously reported that Singapore AI firm Megaspeed International Pte. grew in less than three years from a subsidiary of a Chinese gaming enterprise into the largest buyer of Nvidia chips in Southeast Asia, making it a focus of Washington's long-running worries about semiconductors being smuggled into China.

Nvidia regularly conducts spot checks on data centers worldwide and told Bloomberg it has visited Megaspeed's facilities multiple times to verify conditions. An Nvidia spokesperson said in mid-November 2025:

"Our visits confirmed that the GPUs our partners shipped to Megaspeed are where they are supposed to be."

Daring Fireball, relaying Bloomberg's reporting, said the checks were carried out personally by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and described them as "pretty thorough."

What to watch next: the final text of the NDAA's export control provisions and whether the White House keeps working with Congress; whether Commerce formally issues new rules on lithography tools and remote access restrictions; and whether scrutiny of chip flows involving third-party buyers such as Megaspeed tightens further.