Experts believe that if the United States government allows Nvidia to sell a downgraded version of its most advanced artificial intelligence chip to China, it will weaken America’s advantage in the field of artificial intelligence.
President Trump is set to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday. Trump hinted on Wednesday that he might discuss Nvidia’s “super-duper” Blackwell chip during the meeting.
The Institute for Progressive Studies (IFP) in Washington released a report last Saturday analyzing the impact of allowing China to use the B30A chip (a downgraded version of Nvidia’s most advanced Blackwell chip).
According to a report by Reuters on October 29, Tim Feist, one of the authors of the analysis report, stated, “If we decide to export the B30A chip, America’s significant advantage over China in the field of artificial intelligence will be greatly reduced.”
The report indicates that U.S. export control measures have clear long-term objectives. The report states, “Since the first term of the Trump administration restricted advanced AI chip manufacturing tools, U.S. export controls have aimed to maintain America’s maximum lead in overall computing power.”
The report emphasizes that the potential decision to export the B30A chip would significantly undermine the technical barriers that the U.S. has established against China since October 2022, effectively ending restrictions aimed at ensuring that the Chinese military does not benefit from advanced U.S. technology.
According to the IFP analysis report, although the B30A chip’s performance is halved, its expected price is about half of the flagship B300, making it a comparable cost-effective option. The report highlights that with approximately 20% additional cost, China’s AI labs could establish AI training and computing clusters on par with the United States.
Citing data directly, the report states, “If all AI chip exports are prohibited, America’s AI computing advantage over China is approximately 31 times. However, if the B30A chip export is allowed, this advantage will sharply decrease to less than 4 times.”