Nvidia says Anthropic is telling ‘tall tale’ in its defense of U.S. AI chip restrictions on China

Nvidia blasted Anthropic Thursday in a rare public clash over artificial intelligence policy with U.S. chip export restrictions set to take effect.

“American firms should focus on innovation and rise to the challenge, rather than tell tall tales that large, heavy, and sensitive electronics are somehow smuggled in ‘baby bumps’ or ‘alongside live lobsters,’ ” a spokesperson for Nvidia said.

Anthropic, the AI startup backed by billions from Amazon, argued for tighter controls and enforcement, saying in a blog post Wednesday that Chinese smuggling tactics involved chips hidden in “prosthetic baby bumps” and “packed alongside live lobsters.”

Chip restrictions from former President Joe Biden’s term, called the “AI Diffusion Rule,” are set to take effect May 15. The rule puts global export controls on advanced AI chips and model weights to prevent rival nations like China from gaining ground in an escalating AI arms race.

President Donald Trump is reportedly working on updating these restrictions, adding another layer of uncertainty to the already contentious policy.

Anthropic, which relies heavily on Nvidia hardware to train its models, is calling for tighter restrictions that could limit Nvidia’s overseas business and revenue from chip sales.

Anthropic argued that compute access is the key strategic chokepoint in the race to build frontier AI. The company proposed lowering the export threshold for Tier 2 countries, tightening the rules to reduce smuggling risks, and increasing funding for enforcement.

“Maintaining America’s compute advantage through export controls is essential for national security and economic prosperity,” Anthropic wrote.

In a sharply worded response to Anthropic, an Nvidia spokesperson blasted the use of policy to limit competitiveness.

“China, with half of the world’s AI researchers, has highly capable AI experts at every layer of the AI stack. America cannot manipulate regulators to capture victory in AI,” the spokesperson said.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who visited with Chinese trade officials in mid-April, said Wednesday in Washington, D.C. that China is “not behind” the U.S. in AI and praised Huawei as a top global tech company.

“They’re incredible in computing and network technology, all these essential capabilities to advance AI,” Huang said. “They have made enormous progress in the last several years.”