Scoop: Anthropic breaks from major tech group over chips
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Anthropic is severing ties with the Information Technology Industry Council, an industry advocacy group, over legislation that would curb foreign access to U.S. chips, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Anthropic is breaking with much of the tech industry, quitting a major Washington trade association over a national security fight.
Driving the news: ITI last week sent a letter to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees urging lawmakers to strip three export-control bills from the annual defense policy bill making its way through Congress.
- The bills include the AI OVERWATCH Act, the Chip Security Act, and the MATCH Act.
- All three advanced out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee with substantial bipartisan support and are included in the Senate National Defense Authorization Act managers' package following White House technical assistance.
Anthropic supports all three bills and is ending its membership in ITI over the group's efforts to block them from passing.
- Supporters say the legislation would give existing export controls the durability they lack today and keep the most advanced U.S. chips and chipmaking tools away from China's military and AI labs.
- ITI in its letter wrote that the bills would hurt U.S. dominance in global markets.
What's inside: The AI OVERWATCH Act would require the Commerce Department to notify Congress and allow for a review period before export licenses for sensitive dual-use chips can be approved for adversarial nations.
- The review period has been shortened from two years to 18 months, which ITI described as "an eternity."
- The MATCH Act seeks to push U.S. allies to restrict chip manufacturing equipment sales to China to slow down its domestic chip industry.
- The Chip Security Act would require companies to track their AI chips to counter U.S. tech smuggling.
The big picture: This isn't the first time Anthropic has broken from its industry peers on key policy fights.
- The company has split from major players like OpenAI and Google on AI safety legislation and was the only major company not to directly sign a letter supporting open-weight models.
- ITI company members include Google, OpenAI and Nvidia.
Yes, but: The bills have garnered the support of conservative groups like Heritage Action and American Compass, and have significant bipartisan support.
What's next: The Senate is scheduled to return from summer recess on Sept. 14, with the NDAA awaiting floor action.
