Alexandra Alper

Alexandra Alper
Nationality	American
Occupation	Journalist
Employer	Reuters
Known for	Reporting on U.S. technology policy, export controls, and national security

Alexandra Alper is an American journalist covering U.S. technology policy, national security, and export controls for Reuters. She's based in Washington, D.C., and has made a name for herself reporting on where government regulation meets the tech sector. Her focus: U.S.-China relations, artificial intelligence, semiconductor exports, and defense technology. She's broken exclusive stories on AI chip export restrictions, Pentagon use of AI tools, and covered everything from the U.S. Commerce Department to the Department of Defense to the broader national security apparatus. Major news outlets including Yahoo Finance, WKZO, and other Reuters partners regularly republish her work.

Career

Reuters

Alper works as a reporter for Reuters in Washington, D.C., where she focuses on U.S. government technology and trade policies, particularly those involving China. Her beat covers export controls on advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence policy, and defense technology procurement. These subjects have become increasingly significant geopolitically throughout the 2020s.

U.S.-China Technology and Export Controls

She's been central to Reuters' coverage of U.S. efforts to restrict advanced technology flowing to China. Her reporting has examined how multiple administrations have handled the competitive dynamics between Washington and Beijing in the technology sector.

In January 2021, Alper contributed to Reuters reporting on U.S.-China technology policy during the transition between the Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations. The outlet reported on the evolving landscape of technology restrictions targeting Chinese companies and applications, a subject Alper continued to cover as policies shifted under new leadership. The Biden administration's approach to Chinese technology proved different. It paused certain Trump-era actions like the TikTok ban, and that reshaped the policy landscape Alper covered extensively.

December 2025 brought a major story. Alper co-reported an exclusive revealing that the Trump administration had launched a review potentially allowing the first shipments to China of Nvidia's second-most advanced AI chips, the H200. The story detailed internal deliberations within the administration. Commercial interests versus national security concerns surrounding advanced semiconductor exports. The tension was real.

By February 2026, she reported that none of Nvidia's H200 chips had yet sold to China, citing a U.S. official. The story provided an update on the administration's review of advanced chip exports. Restrictions preventing high-performance semiconductor sales to Chinese entities remained in place.

That same month, Alper co-authored with Steve Holland an exclusive report. Chinese AI startup DeepSeek had trained its latest model on Nvidia's most advanced chip despite U.S. export bans, according to an official. The implications were serious. It raised questions about whether existing export control regimes actually worked and whether Chinese firms could access restricted technology.

U.S. Technology Policy and Trade Diplomacy

She's also explored the broader diplomatic context surrounding technology restrictions. In February 2026, Alper contributed to an exclusive Reuters report revealing that the Trump administration had shelved key technology security measures aimed at Beijing ahead of an April meeting between the two countries' leaders. Trade diplomacy was influencing the pace and scope of technology restrictions. That's what the story showed.

The shelving prompted a political response that Alper also covered. Democratic lawmakers criticized the Trump administration for setting aside key technology security measures aimed at Beijing. They argued the administration was compromising national security for diplomatic gains.

In March 2026, Alper reported on new regulatory frameworks being debated by U.S. officials for exporting artificial intelligence chips. The proposed rules under consideration included requiring foreign firms to make U.S. investments as a condition for accessing advanced AI chips. The administration was using export controls for broader economic and security objectives.

Defense Technology and AI Procurement

Alper has also reported on the U.S. military's adoption of artificial intelligence tools and the political dynamics surrounding defense technology procurement. In March 2026, she reported that the Pentagon had told its senior leaders the use of Anthropic's AI tools might continue beyond a six-month ramp-down period, with certain exemptions possible according to an internal memo. The tensions were clear. The Trump administration's directives regarding certain technology companies clashed with the Defense Department's operational reliance on their products.

She also covered the broader implications of the Pentagon's order to remove Anthropic's AI tools from defense systems. In March 2026, she detailed how U.S. defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, were expected to follow the Pentagon's directive and purge Anthropic's AI tools from their systems. The cascading effects of government technology policy decisions on the defense industrial base became evident.

Reporting Approach

Alper's work at Reuters reflects a focus on obtaining exclusive information from government officials and industry sources. Many stories carry the "Exclusive" label. That's how Reuters marks original reporting based on non-public information. She relies on unnamed officials and sources with direct knowledge of policy deliberations, a standard practice in Washington national security journalism. Her stories often provide the first public disclosure of policy reviews, internal government deliberations, and enforcement actions related to technology controls.

Her reporting spans multiple agencies: the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, the White House. That reflects how cross-agency technology policy has become in the national security context. AI chip exports, defense AI procurement, U.S.-China technology competition. These are now central topics in both domestic policy debates and international relations.

Recognition

Her exclusive reporting has been widely syndicated. Yahoo Finance, Yahoo News, WKZO, and numerous other outlets carrying Reuters content have all republished her stories. The consistent placement of her reporting as headline news on these platforms reflects both the significance of her subjects and the newsworthiness of her sourcing.

The DeepSeek story generated substantial attention. She and Holland revealed that the Chinese AI startup had trained its model on Nvidia's most advanced chip despite U.S. export bans. Technology, policy, and financial media circles all took notice, given what it meant for the effectiveness of U.S. export controls. Similarly, her reporting on the Trump administration's decision to pause China technology restrictions ahead of diplomatic meetings contributed to Congressional scrutiny and public debate about the administration's approach to technology competition with China.

Her coverage of the Pentagon's handling of Anthropic's AI tools drew attention from defense industry observers and technology policy analysts. It highlighted the practical consequences of government decisions on integrating commercial AI products into military operations.