As artificial intelligence (AI) systems play a growing role in military and cyber capabilities, limiting foreign adversaries’ access to the computing resources that enable AI development has become a key national security priority. In a new insight, Technology and Innovation Policy Analyst Angela Luna examines how U.S. export controls have transformed and reviews recent legislative proposals that aim to close the regulatory gaps and preserve advantages over competitors.

Key points:

• As AI continues to evolve, the United States has expanded export controls beyond just physical chips to also restrict related computing and AI technologies.
• Yet questions persist about the long-term effectiveness of export controls as challenges such as chip smuggling, inconsistent implementation among allies, adversaries’ ability to develop alternative pathways, and economic costs to U.S. firms continue to undermine their impact.
• As AI advances, the central policy question is no longer whether to control access to computing power, but how to do so effectively across an increasingly distributed global technology stack.

Read the analysis.