US Tech CEOs Push Open-Source AI Amid Silicon Valley Split Over China

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang posted his first message on X, unveiling an open letter signed by 25 technology firms—including Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta, IBM and Andreessen Horowitz—urging the U.S. administration not to restrict open‑weight AI models. The letter argues that “the world needs both frontier closed models and frontier open models.” Shortly after, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella echoed the sentiment, calling open source “essential to a healthy AI ecosystem.”

The appeal counters lobbying by OpenAI and Anthropic, which have asked regulators to tighten controls on Chinese open‑source models such as Z.ai’s and Moonshot AI’s “Kimi K3,” claiming they pose security and intellectual‑property risks. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House science adviser Michael Kratsios have weighed in on the issue, while the Trump administration considers executive actions that could limit access to Chinese models. The debate highlights a philosophical split in Silicon Valley between firms favoring open‑source AI to drive cloud and chip demand and those advocating closed, proprietary systems to protect safety and market share, set against a broader U.S.–China geopolitical rivalry.