Two US lawmakers leading a committee focused on China have called on the Biden administration to tighten export restrictions on artificial intelligence (AI) chips. Representative Mike Gallagher, a Republican and chair of the House of Representatives select committee on China, and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat and ranking member of the committee, addressed a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. They are urging the administration to strengthen the existing export control rules that were implemented last October. These rules previously cut off China’s access to top AI chips made by US companies including Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, and Intel.
The lawmakers’ letter suggests an even stricter approach than what was previously reported by Reuters. The October 2022 rules imposed two performance caps on exporting AI chips to China – one on the chips’ interconnect speeds and the other on their processing speeds. However, Nvidia and Intel have found ways to create new chips that meet these restrictions but are still useful in the development of AI systems. This has done little to hamper the progress of China’s AI sector, as reported by Reuters in May. Hence, the lawmakers are calling for further tightening of the rules by lowering the speed limit on chip interconnectivity to prevent any clever engineering workarounds.
In addition, Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi also urge the administration to carefully consider cutting off Chinese firms’ access to advanced computing chips in the cloud. Major US companies like Amazon.com, Microsoft, and Alphabet’s Google currently offer these chips for rent as part of their cloud computing services. The lawmakers emphasize the need to safeguard advanced US technology and expertise related to computing and semiconductors against any misuse that may be detrimental to the United States.
The potential tightening of these rules has sparked intense lobbying activity. The CEOs of Nvidia, Intel, and Qualcomm recently traveled to Washington to meet with administration officials to discuss China policy. They are concerned about the potential impact on the industry and have urged the administration to maintain access to the Chinese market, which is the world’s largest commercial market for semiconductors.
Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi’s letter recommends not only strengthening the October 2022 rules but also ensuring that Chinese firms do not have access to advanced computing chips that have the potential to be used against the United States. The lawmakers emphasize the importance of closely considering all aspects of export control to safeguard national interests.
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