Translated by Reuters using machine learning and generative AI. Please refer to the following warning: https://bit.ly/rtrsauto
American authorities are discussing a new regulatory framework for exporting artificial intelligence chips and are considering requiring foreign countries to invest in American AI data centers or provide security guarantees as a condition for allowing the export of a large number of chips, according to a document seen by Reuters.
The rules, which are not yet final and may change, would mark the first attempt to regulate the flow of AI chips to U.S. allies and partners since President Donald Trump’s administration announced it was rescinding its predecessor’s so-called AI export rules, which aimed to maintain a significant amount of AI infrastructure construction in the U.S. and funnel most purchases through a handful of American cloud computing companies.
According to a document viewed by Reuters, even small facilities with fewer than 1,000 chips may require a license. To qualify for an exemption, the exporter of the chips, like Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices, would need to control them, and the recipient would need to agree to use software that would prevent the chips from connecting to other chips to form a larger “cluster,” the term used by the AI industry to describe large groups of chips, the document said.
In a statement on social media, the Commerce Department confirmed that it was discussing new rules, but clarified that they would not be similar to what it described as a “heavy-handed, overreaching, and disastrous” framework proposed by the previous administration.
Instead, the Commerce Department said it would follow the model of agreements to send American chips to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where both countries have agreed to invest in the United States.
“The Commerce Department is committed to spurring safe exports of all American technologies,” the department wrote. “We have successfully advanced exports through our historic agreements with the Middle East, and internal government discussions are underway to formalize this approach.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nvidia and AMD did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
