TLDR
- Nvidia announced a $10 billion investment in Anthropic in November 2025
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei criticized the US policy allowing Nvidia to sell H200 AI chips to China
- Amodei compared selling these chips to China as similar to “selling nuclear weapons to North Korea”
- Anthropic has lost some business deals to Chinese open-weight AI models
- The controversy highlights tension between AI chipmakers and AI development companies over chip exports to China
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei made harsh comments about US policy allowing AI chip sales to China. He spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week.
The remarks targeted a new government decision that permits Nvidia and AMD to sell certain AI chips to China. This includes Nvidia’s H200 line of processors.
The Nuclear Weapons Comparison
Amodei told Bloomberg that allowing these chip sales was a mistake. He struggled to find the right words to describe his opposition.
“I think it’s a bit like selling nuclear weapons to North Korea and bragging,” Amodei said. The comparison drew audible shock from people at the interview.
The statement was particularly harsh given Nvidia’s relationship with Anthropic. Nvidia announced a $10 billion investment in Anthropic in November 2025.
Anthropic has trained its AI models using Nvidia GPUs along with Amazon Trainium chips and Google TPUs. The company also counts Amazon, Google, and Microsoft as major investors.
Amodei explained his concerns about the chips’ capabilities. He described AI models as “essentially cognition, that are essentially intelligence.”
He asked people to think of these models as “100 million people smarter than any Nobel Prize winner.” This power under one country’s control worried him.
Lost Business to Chinese Models
Amodei revealed that Anthropic has lost some contracts to Chinese AI models. “I have almost never lost a deal, lost a contract to a Chinese model,” he said.
The word “almost” confirms that some deals were indeed lost. Chinese companies are releasing their models as open-weight, making them free to use.
Open-weight models reveal the final parameters of a trained model. This differs from open-source models that share source code and training data.
Amodei suggested the actual business impact might be higher than direct lost deals. Some companies may test Chinese models without contacting Anthropic at all.
The Chip Export Policy
The US policy reverses a previous ban on high-performance AI chip sales to China. Nvidia and AMD can now sell to pre-approved customers in China.
The US Commerce Department stated that sales undergo rigorous controls. Buyers are vetted for ties to military operations.
Enforcement remains unclear due to front companies and joint ventures. These relationships can blur the lines of accountability.
Amodei did not name China explicitly during his comments. But the context made clear which country concerned him most.
The controversy shows growing tension in the tech industry. Chipmakers want to expand their market while AI companies worry about geopolitical risks.
Nvidia’s architecture has become essential for AI model development. AMD and Intel are working to catch up but Nvidia remains dominant.
The US policy allows Nvidia to resume selling H200 chips to China after the previous ban ended.
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