Amodei urges chip curbs on China in "We Must Pace the Frontier"

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a 3,800-word essay, "We Must Pace the Frontier," that asks policymakers to keep advanced AI chips out of China, crack down on chip smuggling, and prevent "unauthorized distillation by companies in authoritarian countries." He argued democracies should hold a lead "as large as possible," language that echoes the prior Biden administration. Trump has publicly blasted Amodei over his call to hit the brakes on AI development, yet the two still agree China should not catch up with the U.S.

That shared goal is where the practical difficulty sits. The U.S. is trying to keep China at bay without prompting Beijing to further restrict rare earths, according to the article's framing. Meanwhile, Trump is likely to extend a trade truce with China reached last year when Xi Jinping visits the White House next week, a diplomatic step that could sit awkwardly beside the tighter chip controls Amodei wants.

How far the chip restrictions go may hinge on whether Washington can press its advantage without provoking Beijing on rare earths, a trade-off that will shape planning for AI chipmakers and export-control officials alike.