China Is Still a Key AI Battleground: AMD’s CEO Lisa Su Stresses Strategic Balance Amid US Export Controls

As geopolitical tensions continue to shape the future of global technology, AMD’s CEO Lisa Su has highlighted China’s continued importance in the semiconductor and AI sectors. Her recent comments, made during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” come amid growing U.S. restrictions on advanced AI chip exports. Su’s statements reflect a calculated approach: maintaining U.S. national security while ensuring American companies like AMD can still thrive globally — especially in lucrative markets like China.

At a time when Washington intensifies its clampdown on AI chip sales to China, concerned about potential military applications, AMD is navigating a complex and high-stakes environment. Su emphasized the need for a strategic equilibrium: protecting national interests without strangling innovation or economic opportunity.

Below is a breakdown of the key insights from Lisa Su’s statements, followed by an in-depth analysis of what this means for the tech industry and global trade dynamics.

Key Points

China Remains a “Large Opportunity”: AMD CEO Lisa Su reaffirmed that China continues to be a vital growth area for AI and semiconductors despite tightening U.S. export controls.

Balance Between Security and Innovation: Su stressed the need to balance national security concerns with broad adoption of technology, saying that a thoughtful approach benefits both U.S. economic interests and global leadership.

Impact of Export Restrictions: The U.S. government’s AI chip curbs, especially those targeting AMD’s MI308 chips, are expected to cause a significant revenue dip. Yet, AMD remains committed to competing globally.

Global Expansion as a Priority: Maintaining and expanding U.S. leadership in AI technologies remains a key focus for AMD, especially as AI becomes a foundation for next-gen computing.

Tariff Challenges Downplayed: On former President Trump’s tariff policies, Su downplayed their long-term impact, describing them as a “minor blip.” She emphasized AMD’s agility and adaptability.

Supply Chain Reorientation: AMD is investing in domestic manufacturing, shifting more of its supply chain into the U.S. This helps mitigate geopolitical risk while aligning with national policy trends.

April Sales Were “Robust”: Despite regulatory headwinds, AMD’s recent sales data suggest resilience in the face of macroeconomic and political uncertainty.

Emphasis on Agility: Su highlighted the company’s improved ability to respond to unpredictable conditions, calling agility a critical success factor moving forward.

What Undercode Say:

The statements from Lisa Su

From a geopolitical lens, the AI arms race has become the defining battleground for economic and military dominance. While U.S. policymakers continue to strengthen export restrictions aimed at curbing China’s AI capabilities, the reality on the ground is more complicated. Companies like AMD are caught in the crossfire — pressured to align with national interests while preserving shareholder value and staying competitive on a global stage.

What’s clear is that AMD views China not as a threat to be contained, but as a market that still offers long-term strategic gains. This pragmatic stance mirrors similar positions taken by other Silicon Valley giants like Nvidia and Intel, who have also lobbied for exceptions or adjustments to AI export rules.

Lisa Su’s comments subtly lobby for a more nuanced regulatory framework — one that doesn’t sacrifice U.S. economic power or innovation leadership at the altar of security paranoia. Her advocacy for balance is a veiled critique of one-size-fits-all policy measures, suggesting they may backfire by stifling American tech firms more than hindering Chinese military ambitions.

The pivot to U.S.-based manufacturing is another telling trend. It aligns with the broader reshoring movement incentivized by the CHIPS Act and other federal policies. By decentralizing supply chains and building domestic capacity, AMD can hedge against political disruptions while still engaging in global markets.

The MI308 chip situation exemplifies the risk: a high-performance product potentially hamstrung by policy, not capability. This reflects a broader danger — that U.S. tech firms may innovate faster than policymakers can regulate, leading to mismatched governance and missed opportunities.

Meanwhile, Su’s downplaying of tariffs suggests that AMD is far more concerned about technology flow than trade taxes. For a company whose products are intellectual and high-margin, predictability in regulation matters more than minor cost fluctuations due to tariffs.

AMD’s agility narrative is compelling. The past few years — marked by chip shortages, logistics breakdowns, and international disputes — have tested every semiconductor company’s resilience. AMD’s survival and strong Q1 performance prove it has learned to navigate chaos, not just endure it.

Strategically, AMD seems poised to play both sides: complying with U.S. policy while retaining a foothold in China, one of the world’s largest AI and semiconductor markets. It’s a delicate dance, and success hinges on the U.S. government recognizing the value in nuanced policy rather than binary restrictions.

In the bigger picture, Lisa

Fact Checker Results

Lisa Su did appear on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” and made the referenced comments.
The U.S. has tightened export rules on AI chips, specifically impacting companies like AMD and Nvidia.
AMD’s MI300-series chips (including MI308) are central to its AI strategy and are affected by these restrictions.

Prediction

As U.S.–China tech tensions continue to escalate, companies like AMD will increasingly operate in a split-market strategy — prioritizing U.S. compliance while maintaining modified product lines for foreign buyers. Expect AMD to develop AI chip variants tailored for non-military Chinese applications to skirt export bans, while simultaneously doubling down on U.S. manufacturing to curry favor with regulators. In this bifurcated future, agility and geopolitical fluency will matter as much as silicon design.

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