The Trump administration's decision to lift restrictions on NVIDIA's H20 AI chip sales to China reverses Biden-era 'freeze-in-place' export controls, aiming to keep China dependent on U.S. technology. This policy pivot risks accelerating China's AI deployment capabilities while testing a 'sliding-scale' approach to tech containment. The move underscores deepening geopolitical tensions and forces developers to navigate unstable dependencies amid China's relentless self-reliance push.