The United States' two leading makers of semiconductors that power AI have agreed to pay 15% of their China sales of two chips in exchange for export licenses.

Chipmaking giants Nvidia and AMD will reportedly have to pay the U.S. government a 15% cut on the revenue generated from AI chip sales to China.

Even in an administration that has repeatedly pushed the legal limits of using economic statecraft to reshape the global business landscape, a new deal with two tech giants is raising alarm bells among trade experts.