Is China Only Two Years Behind the US in AI Chips? Insights from the US CTO

Lead: US government CTO says Chinese‑made chips are only two years behind the US.

US Trump‑administration technology official David Sachs publicly stated that the People’s Republic of China’s artificial‑intelligence and chip‑manufacturing capabilities lag the United States by just two years, and that American attempts to slow China’s progress could also hinder the US semiconductor sector.

Sachs, chair of the President’s Science & Technology Advisory Committee, told Bloomberg TV that China is “good at” bypassing restrictions on its semiconductor industry.

He estimated China is about one and a half to two years behind the US in chip design, but noted that Huawei is quickly catching up. While Huawei’s GPU production remains “restricted,” Sachs believes the company may soon begin exporting hardware.

Sachs expressed concern that Huawei could become a major global supplier of GPUs and other AI‑related hardware, increasing competition for US technology firms.

He warned that over‑restricting US sales could backfire, asking why the US did not lock down its technology stack when it held a large market share.

The concern is linked to export‑control rules from the Biden era that limit US GPU sales abroad and require licenses for certain buyers.

Sachs said blocking advanced semiconductors from reaching China is a reasonable policy, but the US also wants allies to obtain them under clear security requirements.

He added that the Trump administration aims to make the US technology ecosystem the global standard and the preferred partner, though past regulations may have harmed the tech industry.

Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei recently acknowledged that Huawei’s GPUs lag a generation behind the best US chips.

Nevertheless, many AI workloads do not require cutting‑edge equipment; if Huawei can sell affordable, capable products worldwide and build a supporting ecosystem, it could challenge Nvidia and AMD in certain markets.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also criticized US export controls on AI hardware, arguing that refusing Chinese hardware would prevent the world from benefiting from innovations developed by Chinese researchers.