Trump administration unveils plan to ease AI chip exports, loosen environmental rules
President Donald Trump is set to mark the rollout with a speech emphasising the strategic importance of winning the global AI race, a competition he says will shape the future of economics, defence and geopolitics.
EXPORTS TO ALLIES, REGULATORY ROLLBACK
The plan includes nearly 90 recommendations and shifts away from the Biden administration's restrictive approach. It calls for the creation of full-stack 'secure export packages' hardware, models, software and standards, that the US can share with friendly governments.
'We're establishing a program led by the departments of Commerce and State to partner with industry to deliver secure full-stack AI export packages… to America's friends and allies,' said Michael Kratsios, head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Trump blocked the export of Nvidia's H20 chip to China in April but allowed sales to resume in July, prompting criticism from Republicans. The plan does not mention national security concerns around the chip, which had been designed to stay just within the limits of earlier US restrictions.
DATA CENTRES AND ENERGY DEMANDS
The blueprint also proposes fast-tracking AI data centre construction by loosening federal environmental requirements, including exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act and streamlined permits under the Clean Water Act.
The administration aims to make more federal land available for projects and is preparing further executive orders to remove obstacles to AI infrastructure growth.
The launch event, titled Winning the AI Race, will feature top officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Economic Adviser Kevin Hassett. It is hosted by White House AI and crypto adviser David Sacks and the co-hosts of the All-In podcast.
Trump's AI strategy, shaped in part by members of the Silicon Valley-backed Hill and Valley Forum, reverses several Biden-era restrictions. These included export limits on AI chips and a so-called 'diffusion rule' capping the amount of computing power foreign buyers could obtain.
Trump has also struck deals with countries like the United Arab Emirates, allowing expanded access to advanced US chips after earlier limits tied to concerns about Chinese technology transfers.
The AI boom has contributed to a surge in US electricity demand, reaching record levels in 2025 after nearly two decades of stagnation. The administration is expected to announce additional measures to help Big Tech secure energy for data centre expansion.
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