The White House is spending $9 billion on super AI chips for intelligence purposes.

The Trump administration has approved a secret $9 billion proposal to purchase advanced computer chips for intelligence and national security purposes.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks at the NVIDIA GTC Global AI Conference in San Jose, California, on March 16 - Photo: REUTERS

The New York Times reported on May 22, citing US officials, that the White House has approved a secret $9 billion budget to purchase advanced computer chips, aimed at helping US intelligence agencies fully utilize the capabilities of the latest generation of artificial intelligence (AI) models.

The direct cause of this decision is the severe chip shortage, which prevents the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA), and other intelligence agencies from testing or deploying the latest AI versions on their classified computer networks.

Modern AI models require enormous amounts of computing power, far exceeding the predictions of many tech experts just one or two years ago, while these agencies have not allocated sufficient budget in recent years to build the infrastructure to meet current demands.

The $9 billion proposal is primarily aimed at expanding the infrastructure supporting Nvidia's Grace Blackwell superchip – a chip currently banned from export to China – which requires data centers capable of providing massive amounts of power and specialized liquid cooling systems.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also allocating $800 million to expedite the procurement of computing power within a shorter timeframe.

The $9 billion is still awaiting congressional approval, and experts believe even larger investments may be needed in the future.

Even if Congress quickly approves the new budget, U.S. intelligence agencies will still need more time to build the necessary infrastructure.

To address the immediate chip shortage, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles authorized the NSA to continue using Anthropic's advanced AI model – even though the Department of Defense had listed the company as a supply chain threat.

The two sides are finalizing a confidential agreement that will allow the NSA to maintain access to Anthropic's products, including a new model called Mythos.

The White House hopes the Anthropic deal will set a model for similar agreements with other AI firms, including OpenAI.

The shortage of the Grace Blackwell superchip is significantly hindering the operations of the U.S. intelligence community, as AI increasingly becomes an essential tool for national security – from sifting through massive volumes of intelligence and analyzing missed communications to assisting the military in identifying operational targets through the Maven system.

"Our intelligence community needs the best: the best AI chips, the best models, the best systems, and the best talent, all on a schedule that matches the level of threat," shared Vinh Nguyen, former Director of Data Science at the NSA.

HA DAO

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nha-trang-chi-9-ti-usd-mua-sieu-chip-ai-phuc-vu-tinh-bao-20260523113011068.htm