# American AI Exports Program; Call for Proposals for Pre-Set Consortia
**AGENCY:**
International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
**ACTION:**
Notice of call for proposals.
**SUMMARY:**
The Department of Commerce (the Department), through the International Trade Administration (ITA), invites proposals for full-stack American AI export packages from industry-led `pre-set' consortia for designation under the American Artificial Intelligence (AI) Exports Program (the Program) established pursuant to Executive Order 14320, “Promoting the Export of the American AI Technology Stack.” A designated package will be presented by U.S. Government representatives as a standing, full-stack American AI export package and may receive priority government advocacy, export licensing review and processing, interagency coordination, and financing referrals, subject to applicable law. Designation does not guarantee any particular form of federal assistance, financing, license approval, advocacy outcomes, or a contract award.
**DATES:**
*Proposal filing window:* This call for proposals opens on April 1, 2026 and proposals will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on June 30, 2026. The Department will consider proposals on a rolling basis for inclusion in the Program. For all proposals, the Department intends to complete an initial completeness review within 14 business days of receipt. Once a proposal is deemed complete, the Department intends to issue a designation decision within 60 calendar days.
*Question and answer period:* See Section XI of this notice.
**ADDRESSES:**
Submit proposals electronically through the American AI Exports Program submission portal at *https://aiexports.gov/consortia/apply.* The portal will include filing instructions, including instructions for submitting confidential commercial information through the portal. The Department will post program updates and public question-and-answer materials at *https://aiexports.gov/ai-consortia.* Email or paper delivery will not substitute for formal submission through the portal.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Brandon Remington, AI Exports Team, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: 202-839-0393; email: *[email protected].*
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
**I. Background and Purpose**
Executive Order 14320 directs the Department of Commerce to promote the export of full-stack American AI technology packages to preserve and extend American leadership in AI and decrease international dependence on AI technologies developed by our adversaries. The Secretary of Commerce was tasked, in consultation with the Secretaries of State, War, and Energy, and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to evaluate and select industry-led proposals for designation under the American AI Exports Program. This notice implements that directive and enables the creation of a menu of priority AI export packages that the U.S. Government will promote to allies and partners around the world.
`Pre-set' consortia are standing teams of AI companies organized to offer a complete American AI technology stack to foreign markets on an ongoing basis. A pre-set consortium is not required to identify a single opportunity or a named foreign buyer in applying. Rather, a pre-set consortium is applying for its full-stack export package to be available for presentation by the United States as part of its menu of vetted, full-stack AI export packages for foreign public- and private-sector buyers in global, regional, or country-specific markets.
The Department expects future *Federal Register* notices, program guidance, or both to address `on-demand' consortia formed for specific foreign opportunities. Further information will be provided as those opportunities arise.
**II. Scope of Eligible Pre-Set Consortia**
An eligible pre-set consortium must be able to deliver a full-stack AI technology package, as defined in Section III, to one or more foreign markets. A consortium does not require any particular legal structure, and there is no minimum or maximum number of consortium members. For each layer of the full stack AI technology package described in Section III, the entity providing the greatest share of the package's products and services by value for that layer [^1] must be a member of the consortium. A consortium member can provide products or services across more than one layer.
[^1] For purposes of this measurement, proposals should use the ex-factory prices of goods and contract value of services, as discussed at *https://www.trade.gov/determine-cs-eligibility?anchor=content-node-t14-field-lp-region-2-2* under “Fee-Based Export Promotion Assistance,”
For the purposes of this proposal, subcontractors and local implementation partners ( *i.e.,* entities located in the intended export market and providing local deployment, integration, training, maintenance, or similar support) that are not consortium members do not need to be identified except to the extent that their identification is necessary to calculate U.S. hardware content, as outlined in Section IV.
Each consortium must identify a single “anchor member.” The anchor member is the lead entity for the consortium, will be responsible for submitting the proposal, and will be the single point of contact for the Program. To qualify as an anchor member, an entity must:
1. Affirm it has experience providing products or services internationally and the organizational capacity to manage multi-country delivery for that layer;
2. Be organized under the laws of the United States or a State thereof, with its principal place of business in the United States. Any subsidiary, affiliate, or branch whose ultimate parent entity is organized under the laws of a foreign jurisdiction or has its principal place of business outside the United States is ineligible to be an anchor member; and
3. Not be (1) incorporated or have its principal place of business in a country of concern, as defined in Sec. 8521 of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (Pub. L. 119-60); or (2) owned or controlled through a majority voting or equity interest by a country of concern or by an entity or national of a country of concern.
An entity may participate in more than one consortium simultaneously and need not serve the same role in all consortia.
**A. National Champion Enterprises**
Foreign entities may be members of a consortium, subject to the limitations in Section IV. In exceptional cases, the Department may, in consultation with the Departments of Energy, State, War, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, on a case-by-case basis, designate a package for inclusion in the Program in which a foreign enterprise is the provider of the highest value of products and services for the functions described in Layer 1, as described in Section III, and/or provides the AI models and systems in Layer 3. The Department may make such designations where the Secretary of Commerce determines, in consultation with the Departments of Energy, State, War, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, that designation of the package, including the participation of the foreign enterprise(s), advances the national interest of the United States. The foreign enterprises providing the highest value products and services for Layers 1 and 3 as described in these packages will be known as “National Champion Enterprises”(NCEs).Section IX.
Consortia with foreign firms may only be designated as NCEs for packages for their home country and may not be designated as NCEs for packages intended for other countries.
Each proposal should identify whether it wishes to have foreign firms included as NCEs for a package. If so, the proposal should identify those firms it wishes to be considered NCEs, and the national interest statement described in section VI(6) should explicitly outline why inclusion of the NCE advances the national interest.
**III. Full-Stack AI Technology Package**
For purposes of this notice, a full-stack AI technology package is an integrated offering that provides products or services for the functions described in each layer of the AI stack for one or more target foreign markets. The five layers required are:
1. AI-optimized hardware and related infrastructure, including chips, servers, accelerators, data center storage, cloud services, networking;
2. Data pipelines and labeling systems;
3. AI models and systems;
4. Security and cybersecurity measures for AI models and systems; and
5. AI applications for sector-specific or functional use cases ( *e.g.,* software engineering, education, healthcare, agriculture, finance, law, defense, government administration, or transportation).
A pre-set consortium must provide products or services for the functions described across all five layers, even if any individual transaction later uses only a subset of those layers. The Department will interpret the definition of these layers expansively to enable proposals to represent practically deployable AI products and services.
**IV. Content and Ownership**
Proposals are designated based on a national interest determination by the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretaries of State, War, and Energy, and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. A proposal is eligible for a national interest analysis if it meets the requirements under subsections (B) and (D) below. Subsections (A) and (C) are also required unless a national interest determination provides for an exception on a case-by-case basis, as described in Section II.A (National Champion Enterprises).
**A. Hardware**
A proposal will be presumed to satisfy the U.S. content component of the national interest determination under Section IX if, through reasonable efforts, it demonstrates that U.S. content [^2] comprises at least 51 percent of the aggregate value of the hardware portion of the proposal (Layer 1 identified in Section III). If the Department of Commerce learns that the hardware portion of the proposal is not at least 51 percent U.S. content, the Department may contact the proposer to request adjustments.
[^2] U.S. content is the percentage of value originating from U.S.-based manufacturing, which includes costs associated with U.S. inputs, U.S. assembly, and U.S. services associated with the manufacturing, as defined at *https://www.trade.gov/determine-cs-eligibility?anchor=content-node-t14-field-lp-region-2-2* under “Fee-Based Export Promotion Assistance.”
Products and services included in the package for functions under Layer 1 must be specifically disclosed if provided by an entity, whether a consortium member or not, that is (1) incorporated or have its principal place of business in a country of concern, as defined in Sec. 8521 of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (Pub. L. 119-60); or (2) owned or controlled through a majority voting or equity interest by a country of concern or by an entity or national of a country of concern.
**B. Data, Software, Cybersecurity, and Application-layers Control and Standards Test**
Each consortium member that provides products or services for the functions described in layers 2, 4 and 5 must:
Not be (1) incorporated or have its principal place of business in a country of concern, as defined in Sec. 8521 of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (Pub. L. 119-60); or (2) owned or controlled through a majority voting or equity interest by a country of concern or by an entity or national of a country of concern.
As part of the proposal, the consortium's anchor member must also describe the privacy and security measures that the consortium will include as part of the export package to secure the provided software and AI systems.
**C. AI Model Ownership and Control**
For AI models and systems, any entity that owns the intellectual property for the model (1) must not be owned or controlled through a voting or ownership interest by a country of concern or by an entity or national of a country of concern and (2) must be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by U.S. persons or entities. For open-weight models, requirement (2) may instead be satisfied if an entity meeting requirements (1) and (2) provides the deployment, integration, fine-tuning, security, and support functions necessary to make the model part of the package. The Department will not designate any consortium with open-weight models developed by entities that are (1) incorporated or have its principal place of business in a country of concern, as defined in Sec. 8521 of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (Pub. L. 119-60); or (2) owned or controlled through a majority voting or equity interest by a country of concern or by an entity or national of a country of concern.
**D. No Country of Concern**
A consortium may not include members, subcontractors, or local implementation partners that are (1) incorporated or have their principal place of business in a country of concern, as defined in Sec. 8521 of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (Pub. L. 119-60); or (2) owned or controlled through a majority voting or equity interest by a country of concern or by an entity or national of a country of concern.
**V. Target Markets and Market Positioning**
Each proposal must identify at least one target country or regional bloc for which its package is intended—its “target markets.” Each proposal much identify relevant foreign competition in the target markets, and why the proposed offering would advance U.S. national interests in those markets, but identifying current foreign buyers is not required. Proposals identifying markets with demonstrated demand, and in which U.S. engagement can materially influence decisions when a procuring entity is choosing between American and foreign technology originating in a country of concern, will generally present a stronger national interest case, but the Department, in consultation with the Departments of State, War, and Energy, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, may designate proposals for any foreign market where designation would advance the national interest.
**VI. Proposal Contents and Formatting**
All proposal materials should be submitted electronically through the AI Exports Program submission portal at *https://aiexports.gov/consortia/apply.* The Proposal application must include, at a minimum, the following:
1. Consortium overview. The consortium name; identification of the anchor member and attestations that the anchor member has the qualifications outlined under Section II; and a listing of all consortium members, their roles, the stack layers in which they provide products or services, and whether the consortium wishes to designate any members as NCEs. This should include relevant ownership and control information sufficient to determine compliance with Section IV;
2. Full-stack package description. A concise narrative describing the integrated technology offering across all required five layers, addressing how products and services pertaining to functions described in the technology stack layers will be provided, down to the two highest-value providers of products and services in each layer after the listed consortia members in Layers 1, 2, and 5. This should include a description, valuation, and percentage of U.S. hardware content. It should also include a description of the privacy and security measures that the consortium will include as part of the export package, and the American cybersecurity standards, or comparable frameworks appropriate to the target market, that those measures would comply with;
3. Target markets. The global, regional, or country markets for which the offering is intended;
4. Business and operational model. A high-level explanation of which entities will build, own, operate, deliver, and support the package, including any relevant infrastructure, cloud, or managed-service arrangements;
5. Requested Federal support. Identification of the types of Federal support that would be most useful if the proposal is designated, which may include export-control engagement, financing referrals, government-to-government engagement, technical assistance, direct loans or loan guarantees, equity investments, co-financing, political risk insurance, credit guarantees, feasibility studies, or other forms of assistance;
6. National interest statement. A description of how the proposal advances the policy objectives of Executive Order 14320;
7. Country of concern disclosures. A description of specific products or services for functions under Layer 1 if provided by an entity that is (1) incorporated or has its principal place of business in a country of concern, as defined in Sec. 8521 of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (Pub. L. 119-60); or (2) owned or controlled through a majority voting or equity interest by a country of concern or by an entity or national of a country of concern.
8. Export-control compliance and national security information. Identification of items, destinations, end uses, end users, or technical features that may implicate the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), U.S. outbound investment regulations, end-user restrictions, or other national security controls; and a description of the consortium's compliance program. Recognizing that proposers may not yet know the end users, preliminary information other than the end user will suffice to make the anticipated license review process more efficient.
In addition, as part of the Proposal Narrative, proposers may submit the following optional items:
1. Letters of intent or other evidence of buyer interest;
2. Descriptions of local implementation partners;
3. Workforce-training or capacity-building components; and
4. Energy, telecommunications, fiber, or other enabling-infrastructure considerations.
**VII. Submission Instructions and Public-Docket Procedures**
Formal submission must occur through the AI Exports Program submission portal at *https://aiexports.gov/consortia/apply.* The Department intends to protect properly submitted confidential commercial information and export-control-sensitive information to the extent permitted by law, including applicable FOIA exemptions and other lawful protections. Proposers are responsible for properly identifying such information at the time of submission.
The Department may disregard confidentiality claims that are not properly supported. The Department may share proposals, including nonpublic material, with other Federal agencies and contractors involved in reviewing or supporting the Program, subject to applicable confidentiality protections.
**VIII. Benefits of Designation**
Designation under the Program is intended to place a package on the United States Government-supported menu of standing American AI packages that may be promoted to foreign buyers and visible to the public. If designated, a package will receive one or more of the following, when in the U.S. interest as determined by U.S. government officials:
1. Priority government-to-government engagement, including introductions to foreign counterparts and support for appropriate advocacy in connection with specific opportunities;
2. Opportunities to be presented at or through Program activities and events;
3. Priority consideration for transaction-specific export-control engagement, including prioritized review processes for linked license applications as permitted by law and agency procedure; and
4. Priority routing for available Federal financing referrals and interagency coordination, where requested, subject to each agency's independent statutory authorities, underwriting standards, and Program requirements.
Designation does not:
1. Guarantee the approval of an export license or other authorization;
2. Guarantee financing, insurance, technical assistance, or any other Federal support;
3. Guarantee that the United States will advocate for a consortium in any specific manner or engagement;
4. Guarantee that a foreign buyer will select the designated consortium; or
5. Limit the Department's discretion to support another designated consortium or other U.S. companies seeking specific opportunities outside of the Program when doing so is in the national interest.
**IX. National Interest Assessment and Designation Determination**
For eligible proposals, the Department, in consultation with the Departments of State, War, and Energy, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, will make designation decisions through a national interest determination that considers whether a proposal will advance the objectives outlined in Executive Order 14320. The Department will not rank proposals under a fixed scoring formula, and no single factor is necessarily dispositive. Any proposal determined to be in the national interest will be designated. A proposal that undertakes reasonable efforts to satisfy the 51 percent hardware U.S.-content presumption is not automatically entitled to designation, and a proposal that does not satisfy that presumption is not automatically disqualified. In making designation decisions, the Department will consider:
1. Compliance with Program requirements;
2. Potential to advance the policy goals of Executive Order 14320;
3. National security posture, including export-control, end-use, end-user, cybersecurity, and other risk-mitigation considerations; and
4. Cybersecurity architecture and standards alignment, including whether the proposal addresses the cybersecurity layer and advances outcomes consistent with American standards, including the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST Special Publication 800-53B, or comparable frameworks appropriate to the target markets.
The relative weight given to these considerations may vary depending on the proposal, the target market, and the national interest as determined by the Department, in consultation with the Departments of State, War, and Energy, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
**X. Review Process, Notification, and Resubmission**
The National AI Center will serve as the initial intake and coordination point for proposals filed under this notice.
**A. Completeness Review**
Within 14 days of receipt, the Department will determine whether a submission meets the minimum requirements set out in this notice. The Department may request clarifying information before determining that a submission is complete.
**B. Substantive Review**
After a proposal is determined to be complete, the Department will conduct a substantive review in consultation with the Departments of State, War, and Energy, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, as appropriate to the issues presented.
**C. Decision Timing**
The Department intends to issue a designation decision within 60 calendar days.
**D. Notification**
Proposers of selected packages will receive written notice of designation and next-step guidance on engaging with the Department of Commerce. Proposers of packages that are not selected will receive notice of non-selection and may resubmit revised proposals with a concise explanation of material changes.
**E. No Fixed Cap**
There is no numerical cap on the number of packages that may be designated under this notice.
**XI. Public Questions and Answers**
Beginning April 1, 2026, and through the application period, the Department will accept public questions regarding this notice. The Department intends to publish responses, as appropriate, on a rolling basis at *https://aiexports.gov/faq.* The Department may decline to answer questions that request confidential treatment, seek transaction-specific legal advice, or would materially prejudice a fair and orderly proposal process.
**XII. Export Controls, Outbound Investment, Antitrust, FOIA, and Other Legal Terms**
**A. Export Controls and National Security**
All proposal-related activities and any resulting transactions must comply with all applicable U.S. national security laws and regulations, including the EAR, the ITAR, U.S. outbound investment regulations, end-user requirements, and export license conditions.
**B. Antitrust**
Formation of, participation in, or designation of a consortium under this notice does not confer antitrust immunity or any exemption from other applicable laws. Members remain responsible for compliance with antitrust and competition law.
**C. Confidentiality and FOIA**
Information submitted under this notice may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) (FOIA). The Department intends to protect properly submitted confidential commercial information, export-control-sensitive information, or other non-public information to the extent permitted by law, including applicable FOIA exemptions and other lawful protections. Proposers are responsible for properly identifying such information at the time of submission.
**D. No Obligation**
This notice does not obligate the United States Government to designate any proposal, to provide any specific form of support, or to enter into any contract, financing arrangement, or other transaction.
**E. Costs**
The United States Government will not reimburse any costs incurred in preparing, submitting, supplementing, or revising a proposal.
**F. Modifications**
The Department may modify, suspend, or terminate this call for proposals by subsequent notice in the *Federal Register* or by other public Program guidance, as appropriate.
William Kimmitt,
Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce.