Mackenzie Hawkins

OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman briefed US policymakers on the need to continue investing heavily in physical infrastructure to support future artificial intelligence development, days after the frenzy around Chinese upstart DeepSeek cast new doubt on AI spending.

US officials are probing whether Chinese AI startup DeepSeek bought advanced Nvidia Corp. semiconductors through third parties in Singapore, circumventing US restrictions on sales of chips used for artificial intelligence tasks, people familiar with the matter said.

A federal funding freeze ordered by the Trump administration — currently blocked by a federal judge — could roil a $52 billion semiconductor subsidy program if it’s allowed to proceed, according to people familiar with the matter.

President Donald Trump is offering buyouts to agency employees who don’t want to comply with his demands that they return to the office as he looks to reshape the federal workforce in his second term.

Trump administration officials are exploring additional curbs on the sale of Nvidia Corp. chips to China, according to people familiar with the matter, who emphasized that conversations are in very early stages as the new team works through policy priorities.

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency in charge of a $52 billion semiconductor subsidy program declined to give it unqualified support, raising questions about the disbursement of funds to companies like Intel Corp. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

Powerful artificial intelligence software from Chinese startup DeepSeek indicates that its engineers built a competitive model despite US attempts to curtail China’s tech development, raising questions about the effectiveness of Washington’s trade curbs.

The US unveiled a fresh round of regulations aimed at keeping advanced chips produced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and other companies from making their way to China, one last attempt by the Biden administration to fill holes in the tech blockade of its geopolitical rival.

President-elect Donald Trump is likely to maintain new US limits on global sales of AI chips by Nvidia Corp. and others, a top Biden administration official said, citing bipartisan national security concerns surrounding China’s pursuit of advanced technology.

President Joe Biden’s administration plans one additional round of restrictions on the export of artificial intelligence chips from the likes of Nvidia Corp. just days before leaving office, a final push in his effort to keep advanced technologies out of the hands of China and Russia.