President Biden has accelerated U.S. efforts to rein in China’s technological advances by implementing tighter controls on quantum computing and semiconductor products. Advanced chip-making tools and other semiconductor technologies are critical to artificial intelligence applications.
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the new rules, citing “national security and foreign policy” as reasons for the move. The restrictions apply to global exports, and Alan Estevez of the Bureau of Industry confirmed:
“By aligning our controls on quantum and other advanced technologies, we will make it significantly more difficult for our adversaries to develop and deploy these technologies in ways that threaten our collective security.”
Race to the top
The new rules mean that any company that exports certain technologies will need a license from the U.S. government to do so, giving the government the ability to restrict sales to countries consistent with its foreign policy objectives.
The Center for Strategic and International Sales found that “the success of U.S. controls likely depends on the ability to harmonize U.S. restrictions with those of key allies, whose export controls differ substantially from those of the United States, resulting in significant gaps.”
Restrictions on chip sales and services are already in the works, with the US using its powers in the hope of persuading Japan to limit its exports. threatened retaliatory measures against thisas both the US and China appear to have the upper hand in what appears to be evolving into a war of attrition between the two superpowers.
China currently leads the way in technology research and chip spending, reportedly approaching the development levels of leading manufacturers, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. As AI continues to develop, semiconductors and other valuable technological components
Via The register