Trump administration rolled out its AI Action Plan aiming to keep the U.S. on top in AI tech without tipping the scale in favor of foreign rivals.
The plan, released Wednesday, calls the U.S. the leader in data center construction, hardware speed, and AI models. It wants to lock down this edge globally—while blocking adversaries from freeloading on American innovation.
The key focus: tougher chip export controls using “creative approaches.” It recommends government bodies like the Department of Commerce and National Security Council team up with AI companies on chip location verification tech. It also pushes for stronger enforcement on export restrictions targeting AI chip components, not just the big manufacturing systems. 
The plan says the U.S. must rally allies behind export controls and use tools like the Foreign Direct Product Rule and secondary tariffs to enforce global alignment.
“America currently is the global leader on data center construction, computing hardware performance, and models,” the plan stated. “It is imperative that the United States leverage this advantage into an enduring global alliance, while preventing our adversaries from free-riding on our innovation and investment.”
“America must impose strong export controls on sensitive technologies,” the plan states. “We should encourage partners and allies to follow U.S. controls, and not backfill. If they do, America should use tools such as the Foreign Direct Product Rule and secondary tariffs to achieve greater international alignment.”
But specifics are light. The plan mostly sets out building blocks for future chip export rules instead of concrete policies.
The Trump administration’s past moves expose the messy middle here. Back in July, it flipped on chip sales to China—allowing Nvidia and AMD to sell AI chips after cracking down on those same chips months earlier. It also scrapped Biden’s AI diffusion rule limiting AI computing capacity buys days before it kicked in.
More orders are expected July 23, but likely more groundwork than actual rules.
The Trump AI Action Plan is clear on ambition: grow U.S. AI leadership worldwide while keeping rivals in check. But it’s still figuring out exactly how to get there.
