Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the House Select Committee on China has called on the U.S. Department of Commerce to adopt a new framework for regulating artificial intelligence chip exports to China. In a letter sent this week to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Moolenaar proposed using a rolling technical threshold (RTT) that would only allow exports of chips marginally more advanced than those currently produced at scale by Chinese firms. The proposal also seeks to limit China's total AI computing power to 10% of that available in the United States.
Moolenaar’s suggestion follows his earlier opposition to resuming sales of Nvidia's H20-equivalent chips to China last month. According to an April 2025 report from the Select Committee, these types of chips have enabled significant advancements in Chinese AI models, including the PRC's R1 reasoning model.
"We have repeatedly seen the Chinese Communist Party proliferate its technology and weapons to enable Russia, Iran, and proxy groups to attack American partners and allies. Iran, in particular, will be eager to take advantage of PRC-enabled AI capabilities," writes Moolenaar in the letter. "A version of R1 that DeepSeek has fine-tuned for the PLA using American chips is now a feasible option on the menu of Chinese military capabilities for sale. For example, AI-enabled drone swarms sold to Iran with sophisticated autonomous navigation, cooperative networking, electronic warfare capabilities, and target discrimination could threaten American or Israeli units in the region in ways that current systems may struggle to counter."
The RTT framework aims both to maintain U.S. dominance in AI technology and ensure China remains reliant on U.S.-made hardware and software while restricting its access to more advanced systems.
The full text of Chairman Moolenaar’s letter is available online.
Related topics include warnings against loosening export controls on Nvidia products for China due to national security concerns and previous addresses by Chairman Moolenaar regarding competition with China over technological leadership.
