OpenAI, Microsoft, AMD To Present Senate With AI Wishlist To Beat China

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is expected to emphasize the need for public investment in infrastructure, while Microsoft President Brad Smith would reportedly highlight concerns around export restrictions on U.S. AI chips.

Top executives from OpenAI, Microsoft (MSFT), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and CoreWeave (CRVW) are scheduled to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday, urging lawmakers to back policies that strengthen the U.S. lead in artificial intelligence (AI) amid rising competition from China.

The hearing, led by Senator Ted Cruz, comes as Washington faces renewed pressure to counter advances by Chinese firms. 

Last year, DeepSeek—a Hangzhou-based company—surprised the global tech community by unveiling a capable, lower-cost AI model that challenged OpenAI and Meta Platforms (META) offerings.

U.S. tech leaders have since stepped up lobbying efforts, arguing that AI aligned with democratic norms is a strategic imperative. The industry wants looser regulations and increased support for critical infrastructure such as semiconductors and supercomputing capacity.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is expected to emphasize the need for public investment in infrastructure. 

“Infrastructure is destiny, and we need a lot more of it,” he is expected to say, according to his prepared remarks cited by Reuters. Altman, who in earlier testimony before Congress advocated strong regulation to mitigate AI risks, now says scaling AI requires “more chips, training data, energy, and supercomputers.”

Microsoft President Brad Smith would reportedly highlight concerns that export restrictions on U.S. AI chips could push global buyers toward Chinese alternatives. 

AMD CEO Lisa Su and CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator would also pressure lawmakers to back policies supporting U.S.-based AI development.

The Biden administration’s sweeping curbs on AI chip exports to China aimed to limit Beijing’s military advancement. However, the Trump administration is preparing to rescind those controls. 

According to a report by Bloomberg, Trump will not enforce the Biden-era “AI diffusion rule” when it takes effect on May 15, part of a broader plan to overhaul semiconductor trade restrictions that have drawn industry backlash.

U.S. export restrictions on advanced chips to China have caused major revenue losses for chipmakers. AMD expects up to $800 million in charges related to unsellable inventory and commitments, while Nvidia faces a $5.5 billion write-down due to its H20 chips being blocked from the Chinese market.

“The way to beat China in the AI race is to outrace them in innovation, not saddle AI developers with European-style regulations,” Cruz said when announcing the hearing.

AMD’s stock is down over 15% year-to-date, while Nvidia shares have dropped nearly 14%.

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