Nov 13 (Reuters) - Amazon ( AMZN ) is joining Microsoft ( MSFT )

in backing legislation to further restrict chipmaker

Nvidia's ( NVDA ) ability to export chips to China, the Wall

Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with

the matter.

The legislation, known as the GAIN AI Act, is also backed by

AI startup Anthropic, the report said.

Short for Guaranteeing Access and Innovation for National

Artificial Intelligence (GAIN), the Act was introduced as part

of the National Defense Authorization Act and stipulates that AI

chipmakers prioritize domestic orders for advanced processors

before supplying them to foreign customers.

Microsoft ( MSFT ) publicly came out in favor of the legislation,

while officials at Amazon's ( AMZN ) cloud unit have privately told

Senate staffers that they also support it, the report said.

Meta Platforms ( META ) and Alphabet's Google have

not taken a position on the Act, and neither has U.S. President

Donald Trump, the report added.

White House officials, including AI czar David Sacks, told

GAIN Act sponsor Senator Jim Banks that the policy's impact is

limited as the Commerce Department already regulates chip

exports, the report said.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Amazon ( AMZN )

declined to comment, while Microsoft ( MSFT ), Anthropic and the White

House did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for

comment.

Nvidia ( NVDA ), the world's dominant chipmaker, has previously said

the GAIN AI Act stands to restrict global competition for

advanced chips, limiting computing power available to other

countries.

The touted legislation reflects Washington's attempt to

prioritize American needs amid fears that China would leverage

access to high-end AI capabilities to supercharge its military.