- Commerce CTO Moksh Jawa said the center could act as an evaluative front end and wants to partner with GSA on that role
- The International Trade Administration set up the center as a single entry point for AI export assistance
- Its export work falls under the American AI Exports Program, tied to a July executive order promoting American AI abroad
The Department of Commerce’s National AI Center has picked up a second assignment. Opened in San Francisco, California, to help American AI companies sell abroad, the office is now working to put them in front of federal agencies, Federal News Network reported Thursday.
Moksh Jawa, Commerce’s chief technology officer, described the move at a technology showcase held at General Services Administration headquarters. Jawa said the center could serve as an evaluative front end for those relationships, and that Commerce wants to partner with GSA to build out that role, citing GSA’s procurement and technology assessment expertise.
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What Is the National AI Center?
The National AI Center was set up by the International Trade Administration as a single entry point for American AI companies seeking government assistance with exports. San Francisco was chosen as its location because of its concentration of AI companies, researchers and investors, giving Commerce direct access to the firms driving the sector.
Staffing pairs AI commercialization and export specialists from Commerce’s commercial service with export professionals posted in cities nationwide and foreign commercial service officers abroad. That combination is meant to introduce U.S. companies to vetted foreign buyers.
The center opened in March.
How Does the AI Center Relate to the American AI Exports Program?
The center’s export work sits under the American AI Exports Program, which ITA launched in October 2025 to carry out the July 23 executive order on promoting export of the American AI technology stack. The program identifies industry-led export packages spanning AI hardware, software, models and applications, then promotes them to overseas markets.
Proposals go to the secretaries of state, defense and energy and the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy for review. Packages that clear that process receive backing from the interagency Economic Diplomacy Action Group.
Commerce issued a call for proposals for program consortia in April, according to Federal News Network. The outlet reported that the center’s export activity centers on priority export licenses, government advocacy and access to federal financing.
