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In a bold move to reclaim and expand the U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence (AI), former President Donald Trump introduced a comprehensive blueprint on Wednesday that aims to accelerate AI exports and ease domestic regulatory hurdles, especially environmental ones. The plan marks a significant shift from the more cautious approach of the Biden administration.
“America is going to win it,” says Trump
Speaking at the plan’s launch, Trump emphasized the urgency of beating China in the AI race.
“America is the country that started the AI race. And as President of the United States, I’m here today to declare that America is going to win it,” he declared.
The new strategy, composed of around 90 recommendations, proposes dismantling regulatory roadblocks and establishing a unified federal AI framework to prevent a patchwork of conflicting state-level rules.
“We also have to have a single federal standard, not 50 different states regulating this industry in the future,” Trump added.
A Global Push for AI Exports
The plan includes collaboration between the U.S. departments of Commerce and State, which will work with industry leaders to deliver comprehensive AI packages, comprising hardware, software, and standards, to allied nations. Michael Kratsios, head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, explained the objective:
“Deliver secure full-stack AI export packages, including hardware models, software applications, and standards to America’s friends and allies around the world.”
This expansion is expected to benefit U.S. tech giants like Nvidia, AMD, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI.
Reversals of Biden-Era Restrictions
Trump signed three executive orders on the same day, aiming to:
- Loosen environmental rules
- Redefine chip export guidelines
- Curb political bias in AI
These orders rolled back Biden’s policies, including:
- The “AI diffusion rule” which limited AI computing capacity, some countries could import
- A prior order meant to “promote competition and protect consumers” in AI
Biden’s restrictions were based on fears that adversaries like China could weaponize AI chips produced by U.S. companies to advance their military capabilities.
Vice President JD Vance reinforced the administration’s hardline stance, criticizing overregulation:
“If we’re regulating ourselves to death and allowing the Chinese to catch up to us… that is something we should blame our own leaders for, for having stupid policies that allow other countries to catch up with America.”
Despite efforts to regain control, the new plan does not tackle existing concerns about Nvidia’s H20 chip. The chip, which was designed to comply with export restrictions, had its sales to China briefly blocked by Trump in April but resumed earlier this month, drawing criticism from Republicans.
Fast-Tracking AI Infrastructure
A major feature of the blueprint is the acceleration of AI infrastructure development, especially data centers. The plan proposes:
- Relaxing environmental rules under the National Environmental Policy Act
- Streamlining permits through the Clean Water Act
- Utilizing federal land for faster data center construction and power grid expansion
With energy demand soaring due to the rapid growth of AI and cloud computing, the administration is preparing further actions to ensure Big Tech has sufficient access to power.
The export roadmap also reflects earlier deals, such as the one made in May, granting the United Arab Emirates broader access to U.S. AI chips, despite previous restrictions.
