The United States is considering restricting access from China to AWS and Microsoft Azure, is it the purpose of blocking loopholes in AI chip export controls?


by

Berkeley Lab

The U.S. Department of Commerce is considering implementing new rules restricting Chinese companies from using cloud computing services like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure , The Wall Street Journal reports. is reported by

US Looks to Restrict China's Access to Cloud Computing to Protect Advanced Technology - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/us-looks-to-restrict-chinas-access-to-cloud-computing-to-protect-advanced-technology-f771613



US wants to limit China's access to cloud services: report

https://nypost.com/2023/07/04/us-wants-to-limit-chinas-access-to-cloud-services-report/



US-China Tech War Escalates as Biden Administration Proposes Cloud Restrictions - WinBuzzer

https://winbuzzer.com/2023/07/04/us-china-tech-war-escalates-as-biden-administration-proposes-cloud-restrictions-xcxwbn/

In the United States, there was concern that China would use high-performance chips such as NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel for military purposes, such as creating AI-equipped weapons and tools for cyber attacks. Therefore, it was reported in June 2023 that the US Department of Commerce planned to suspend exports of high-performance chips to China for semiconductor manufacturers such as NVIDIA.

The United States is considering expanding AI chip export restrictions to China, due to the danger that China will use chips such as NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel for weapons and cyber attacks-GIGAZINE



In addition to the military diversion of high-performance chips, the intention is to check China's development with advanced civilian technologies such as face recognition technology, fully automatic driving technology, and quantum computing.

However, Chinese companies that no longer have physical access to high-performance chips may have used cloud services such as AWS and Microsoft Azure to access computing power and evade the export ban, the anonymous state said. security analysts point out.

By using cloud services, you can use powerful computing power without buying export-banned products such as NVIDIA's A100 Tensor Core GPU . ``If a Chinese company wants to access the NVIDIA A100, it can be accessed from any cloud service provider, which is legal for now,'' said Emily Weinstein of Georgetown University's Security and New Technology Center.



To close these export control loopholes , the U.S. Department of Commerce requires companies to 'see government national security approval before offering cloud services that use advanced AI chips to China-based customers.' It is reported that they are considering implementing rules such as 'need to obtain'.

Restrictions on access to cloud computing services by Chinese companies could have major implications for both the United States and China. For the United States, the restrictions could harm the economic activity of domestic companies that sell cloud services to China, while making it more difficult for China to develop and deploy advanced technologies, which could slow economic growth. gender is pointed out.



It has also been suggested that the restrictions could affect the global technology industry as well, and if other countries follow suit by US regulation, the global cloud market will become fragmented and companies will be forced to do business across borders. is thought to be difficult to do.

On the other hand, China has announced that it has restricted the export of gallium and germanium necessary for semiconductor manufacturing as a countermeasure against export restrictions on high-performance chips and manufacturing equipment by the United States.

China restricts exports of gallium and germanium necessary for semiconductor manufacturing, is it a check to Western countries such as the United States?



The restrictions on cloud computing services, as part of the expansion of export control measures that took effect in October 2022, will be announced sometime in July 2023, along with restrictions on exports of high-performance chips, according to people familiar with the matter. About. The U.S. Department of Commerce did not respond to a request for comment by The Wall Street Journal.

in Software, Posted by log1r_ut