Nvidia publicly criticized Anthropic on Thursday over differing stances regarding U.S. chip export restrictions set to be enforced soon.
“American firms should focus on innovation and rise to the challenge, rather than tell tall tales that large, heavy, and sensitive electronics are somehow smuggled in ‘baby bumps’ or ‘alongside live lobsters,'” a Nvidia spokesperson stated.
Anthropic, an AI startup backed by Amazon, had argued for stricter controls and enforcement, mentioning in a blog post that Chinese smuggling tactics involved chips hidden in “prosthetic baby bumps” and “packed alongside live lobsters.”
The chip restrictions from former President Joe Biden’s administration, known as the “AI Diffusion Rule,” are scheduled to take effect on May 15. This rule enforces global export controls on advanced AI chips and model weights to prevent rival nations like China from advancing in the AI arms race.
President Donald Trump is reportedly revising these restrictions, adding further uncertainty to the already controversial policy.
Anthropic, which heavily relies on Nvidia hardware for training its models, advocates for tighter restrictions that could impact Nvidia’s overseas business and revenue from chip sales. The company emphasized that compute access is a critical strategic point in the AI development race.
Anthropic proposed lowering the export threshold for Tier 2 countries, tightening rules to minimize smuggling risks, and increasing enforcement funding.
“Maintaining America’s compute advantage through export controls is essential for national security and economic prosperity,” Anthropic wrote.
In response, Nvidia accused Anthropic of using policy to hinder competitiveness.
“China, with half of the world’s AI researchers, has highly capable AI experts at every layer of the AI stack. America cannot manipulate regulators to capture victory in AI,” Nvidia’s spokesperson remarked.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who met with Chinese trade officials in mid-April, stated in Washington, D.C., that China is “not behind” the U.S. in AI and praised Huawei as a leading global tech company.
“They’re incredible in computing and network technology, all these essential capabilities to advance AI. They have made enormous progress in the last several years,” Huang commented.
— new from CNBC