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 who covers U.S. technology policy, national security, and export controls for Reuters. Based in Washington, D.C., Alper has established herself as a reporter focused on the intersection of government regulation and the technology sector, with particular emphasis on U.S.-China relations in the areas of artificial intelligence, semiconductor exports, and defense technology. Her reporting has broken numerous exclusive stories on topics ranging from AI chip export restrictions to Pentagon use of artificial intelligence tools, and her byline appears regularly on stories involving the U.S. Commerce Department, the Department of Defense, and the broader national security apparatus. Alper's work has been republished and cited by major news outlets including Yahoo Finance, WKZO, and other media partners in the Reuters syndication network.

Career

Reuters

Alexandra Alper works as a reporter for Reuters in Washington, D.C., where she focuses on the U.S. government's technology and trade policies, particularly those involving China. Her beat encompasses export controls on advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence policy, and defense technology procurement — subjects that have grown in geopolitical significance throughout the 2020s.

U.S.-China Technology and Export Controls

Alper has been a central figure in Reuters' coverage of U.S. efforts to restrict the flow of advanced technology to China. Her reporting has addressed multiple administrations' approaches to managing 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. Reuters 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, including the pause on certain Trump-era actions such as the TikTok ban, reshaped the policy landscape that Alper reported on extensively.

In December 2025, Alper co-reported an exclusive story revealing that the Trump administration had launched a review that could result in the first shipments to China of Nvidia's second-most advanced AI chips, known as the H200. The story highlighted the internal deliberations within the administration regarding the balance between commercial interests and national security concerns surrounding advanced semiconductor exports.

In February 2026, Alper reported that none of Nvidia's H200 chips had yet been sold to China, citing a U.S. official. The story provided an update on the status of the administration's review of advanced chip exports and the ongoing restrictions that prevented the sale of certain high-performance semiconductors to Chinese entities.

Also in February 2026, Alper co-authored with Steve Holland an exclusive report revealing that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek had trained its latest AI model on Nvidia's most advanced chip despite U.S. export bans, according to an official. The story raised questions about the effectiveness of existing export control regimes and the ability of Chinese firms to access restricted technology.

U.S. Technology Policy and Trade Diplomacy

Alper's reporting has also addressed the broader diplomatic context in which technology restrictions operate. In February 2026, she contributed to an exclusive Reuters report revealing that the Trump administration had shelved a number of key technology security measures aimed at Beijing ahead of an April meeting between the two countries' leaders. The story detailed how trade diplomacy considerations were influencing the pace and scope of technology restrictions.

The shelving of these measures prompted a political response, which Alper also covered. In a subsequent report, Reuters documented how Democratic lawmakers criticized the Trump administration for setting aside key technology security measures aimed at Beijing. The lawmakers argued that 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, reflecting the administration's efforts to use export controls as leverage for broader economic and security objectives.

Defense Technology and AI Procurement

In addition to her coverage of export controls, Alper has 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 that 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 story highlighted the tensions between the Trump administration's directives regarding certain technology companies and the Defense Department's operational reliance on their products.

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

Reporting Approach

Alper's body of work at Reuters reflects a focus on obtaining exclusive information from government officials and industry sources. Many of her stories carry the "Exclusive" label used by Reuters to denote original reporting based on non-public information. Her coverage frequently relies on unnamed officials and sources with direct knowledge of policy deliberations, a practice common 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 U.S. government agencies, including the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, and the White House, reflecting the cross-agency nature of technology policy in the national security context. The subjects she covers — AI chip exports, defense AI procurement, and U.S.-China technology competition — have become central topics in both U.S. domestic policy debates and international relations.

Recognition

Alper's exclusive reporting has been widely syndicated across major news platforms. Her stories have been republished by Yahoo Finance, Yahoo News, WKZO, and numerous other outlets that carry Reuters content. The consistent placement of her reporting as headline news on these platforms reflects the significance of the subjects she covers and the newsworthiness of her exclusive sourcing.

Her work on the DeepSeek story — revealing that the Chinese AI startup had trained its model on Nvidia's most advanced chip despite U.S. export bans — generated substantial attention in technology, policy, and financial media circles, given its implications 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, as it highlighted the practical consequences of government decisions on the integration of commercial AI products into military operations.