Report: Netanyahu recently asked US for waiver on recent AI chip export restrictions

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly recently asked the United States to grant Israel a waiver on the newly imposed export restrictions for advanced computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence.

The Axios news site reports that Netanyahu’s request was made to Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick, during the premier’s recent visit to the US, but that Lutnik made no promises to grant Netanyahu on the matter.

The report adds that a senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration expressed skepticism that the US will grant Israel the waiver.

When the US first announced the restrictions last month, local sources told The Times of Israel that the restrictions could prevent Israel from competing in the global AI race.

“What it means in practice is that it will be hard for Israeli companies to create and train new AI models because we don’t have the computing power,” Adv. Eli Greenbaum, a partner at the Arnon-Tadmor Levy law firm, which specializes in technology cross-border deals, told The Times of Israel.

The sources added that it could also deter global tech companies from building large computing centers and executing big AI projects in Israel.