OpenAI Reportedly Drops Push for China Chip Export Curbs, Drawing Criticism Over Nvidia Ties

Politico reports that OpenAI has notably shifted its stance on AI chip export controls to China: for the past year it had advocated strict limits on US chipmakers like Nvidia selling advanced AI processors to China, leaving lawmakers expecting its support for new restrictions. But according to congressional aides and lobbyists familiar with the matter, OpenAI has now stopped pushing that position.

Confirmed

• Citing informed congressional aides and lobbyists, Politico reports that OpenAI previously lobbied for chip export restrictions on China but has since stopped. Security researcher Peter Wildeford commented that AI chips flowing to China would be a direct loss for both the US and OpenAI, calling this a key issue in the US-China AI race.
• Garrison Lovely, author of Obsolete, pointed to material from the book: in its March 2025 submission to the White House AI Action Plan, OpenAI supported export controls, but five months later Altman told reporters "my instinct is that it's not going to work," marking a shift in attitude. Lovely linked this to OpenAI subsequently securing up to $100 billion in investment from Nvidia.
• One anonymous congressional aide told the media that OpenAI leadership had previously aligned with Congress on this policy but its stance has now become "more ambiguous," criticizing that "OpenAI's silence is doing Nvidia's work for it."
• It was also disclosed that in a letter to the White House last October, OpenAI asked the Trump administration to ease export licensing restrictions related to AI safety testing—a position the poster noted OpenAI has been pushing for some time.

Why it matters

• OpenAI's policy shift comes as it builds a deep investment relationship with Nvidia, raising questions about whether commercial interests are shaping its lobbying stance.
• China chip export controls are a core issue in the US-China AI competition, and shifting lobbying postures among major AI companies could influence future congressional legislation and the pace of regulation.

2026-10-20 ~ 2026-10-20 · 7 related posts

• OpenAI quietly drops push to restrict AI chip exports to China, per Politico — ShakeelHashim · 2026-10-20
• [source] Author: OpenAI dropped export controls, then took up to $100B from Nvidia — GarrisonLovely · 2026-10-20
• Aide: OpenAI's stance on chip issue turns fuzzy, silence 'does Nvidia's work' — pstAsiatech · 2026-10-20
• [source] OpenAI asked the White House last October to loosen AI safety testing export curbs — pstAsiatech · 2026-10-20
• [source] OpenAI once pushed to keep AI chips from China — now it's staying quiet — peterwildeford · 2026-10-20
• Ex-OpenAI policy chief blasts OpenAI's retreat from AI chip controls to appease Nvidia — Miles_Brundage · 2026-10-20
• OpenAI's silence on chip export controls slammed as Nvidia dependence deepens — Miles_Brundage · 2026-10-20