The administration has integrated language into the AI Overwatch Act designed to prohibit foreign firms from leasing high-end artificial intelligence computing power through overseas cloud services. Rep. Brian Mast confirmed the White House provided feedback on three export control bills linked to the National Defense Authorization Act, seeking to formally close a regulatory gap that allows foreign entities to remotely access U.S. hardware that is otherwise banned for shipment.
The legislative move follows reports that the Chinese AI lab Moonshot AI sought to rent clusters of more than 8,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs from European providers to power its Kimi models, reportedly offering upfront payments up to 50% higher than typical customers. As House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other Democrats push for stricter curbs on Beijing, Rep. Mast said he has not ruled out issuing a subpoena for Nvidia to investigate its compliance with existing export rules.