Top Democrat says chip restrictions are ‘key lever’ for US AI edge over China

Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, recently expressed his belief that the United States would not retain its dominance in frontier AI technology over China indefinitely. During a Brookings event in Washington, Himes emphasized that the US's most significant advantage in this domain is the restriction of advanced chip exports to China.

"I don't believe for one second that we're going to maintain a lead over Chinese frontier models forever. But we should for as long as we can," Himes stated. Himes, a member of the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" congressional leaders, made these remarks ahead of the November midterm elections, with recent polls indicating that Democrats might regain control of Congress.

The Brookings Institution event, titled "AI on the ballot: Data centres and the 2026 midterms," explored local opposition to data centers and the global expansion of AI infrastructure. Kyle Chan, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, highlighted that while China is currently constrained by its chip production capacity, they are gearing up for broader global expansion, potentially offering comprehensive AI solutions, including cloud services and hardware.

The US, on the other hand, faces an energy bottleneck, with data centers requiring more power to operate. Himes also touched upon allegations that foreign adversaries, particularly China, are boosting opposition to data centers in the US, a notion he acknowledged he could not confirm.