Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has issued a stark warning against the Trump administration's recent decision to allow Nvidia to sell advanced AI chips to China, drawing a provocative comparison to selling nuclear weapons technology to North Korea. The criticism came during a panel discussion on artificial general intelligence at Davos, where Amodei expressed serious concerns about the national security implications of the policy shift.

Strong Opposition from AI Industry Leader

Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Amodei used pointed language to illustrate his concerns about the export decision. "Are we going to, you know, sell nuclear weapons to North Korea, and, you know, because that produces some profit for Boeing?" he said, according to AP reports. The Anthropic chief executive warned that shipping such powerful chips risks providing China with the computational power necessary to develop super-intelligent AI systems.

Broader Industry and Policy Concerns

Amodei is not alone in his criticism of the new export policy. Saif Khan, who previously served as director of technology and national security on the White House National Security Council under Joe Biden, has also warned that the rule would substantially boost China's AI capabilities. The concerns reflect broader anxiety within the AI community about the geopolitical implications of advanced chip technology transfers.

The Anthropic CEO's comments came during discussions about artificial general intelligence, systems that reportedly have the capability to outperform human intelligence. Amodei noted that while AI companies are racing to develop AGI, such technology also carries risks that could threaten humanity.

Trump Administration's New Export Framework

The Trump administration approved China-bound sales of Nvidia's second-most powerful AI chips last week, implementing a new regulatory framework that will likely enable shipments of the H200 model. This decision represents a significant shift from Biden-era restrictions that had barred sales of advanced AI chips to China.

Under the new regulations, chips will be reviewed by a third-party testing lab to confirm their technical AI capabilities before export approval. Additionally, China cannot receive more than 50% of the total amount of chips sold to American customers, creating a built-in limitation on the volume of exports.

Administration's Strategic Rationale

Despite the criticism, the Trump administration maintains that the policy shift serves strategic purposes. White House AI czar David Sacks believes that allowing controlled exports of Nvidia and AMD chips could discourage Chinese competitors, particularly heavily sanctioned companies like Huawei, from accelerating efforts to develop competing advanced chip designs. The administration argues this approach could preserve US companies' market dominance while managing competitive threats.

The debate highlights the complex balance between commercial interests, technological leadership, and national security considerations in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. As companies like Anthropic continue developing increasingly powerful AI systems, the question of technology transfer and export controls remains a critical policy challenge.

The Trump administration has formally approved the export of Nvidia's H200 AI chips to China, establishing specific regulatory conditions that mark a significant shift from previous export restrictions. The decision, announced on January 13, puts in place a framework that will likely enable shipments of Nvidia's second most powerful AI chips despite concerns from China hawks in Washington.

Export Conditions and Restrictions

The new regulations establish several key requirements for H200 chip exports to China:

These conditions represent new requirements that had not been established previously under the Biden administration's export restrictions.

Market Demand and Pricing

Chinese technology companies have demonstrated substantial demand for the H200 chips, with significant order volumes already placed:

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang indicated the company was ramping up H200 production amid strong global demand, which has been driving up rental prices for H200 chips in cloud computing data centers.

Policy Shift and Strategic Rationale

The approval represents a reversal from the Biden administration's policy that barred sales of advanced AI chips to China. US President Donald Trump announced the decision would include a 25% fee for the US government. The Trump administration, led by White House AI czar David Sacks, argues that shipping advanced AI chips to China under controlled conditions may discourage Chinese competitors, including heavily sanctioned Huawei, from intensifying efforts to develop competing chip designs.

Industry and Expert Analysis

Jay Goldberg, an equities analyst with Seaport Research, characterized the export caps as a compromise that imposes some restrictions on Nvidia's China sales but may prove difficult to enforce. Goldberg noted that Chinese companies have previously found ways to access restricted chips, describing the approach as "highly transactional."

Saif Khan, who served as director of technology and national security on the White House National Security Council under the Biden administration, expressed concerns that the rule would substantially boost China's AI capabilities. Khan noted that allowing approximately two million advanced AI chips to China equals the compute capacity owned by a typical US frontier AI company, while highlighting potential enforcement challenges regarding know-your-customer requirements for Chinese cloud providers.