According to people familiar with the matter, US government officials are working on draft regulations that would significantly strengthen controls over AI chip exports.
It would increase the Trump administration's power over semiconductor giants like Nvidia and AMD.
The idea is for the government to become a kind of gatekeeper, where foreign companies or governments can apply to purchase the highly sought-after AI products.
Whether an application is approved or rejected will then be crucial to building digital infrastructure important for economic growth, competitiveness and military capability.
Today, AI exports to around 40 countries have restrictions - with the new rules, in principle, all exports will be covered.
