It turns out that Chinese military institutions, state-run AI research institutes, universities, etc. were gradually purchasing NVIDIA semiconductors banned from the United States
It has been revealed that Chinese military and research institutions secretly obtained some of NVIDIA's semiconductors, which are prohibited from being exported to China, through small suppliers.
Exclusive: China's military and government acquire Nvidia chips despite US ban | Reuters
The US government is afraid that the products of US-based semiconductor companies will be used for military purposes in other countries, and from around 2022 it will restrict semiconductor giants NVIDIA and AMD from exporting their products to China and Russia. It's starting.
The US government orders NVIDIA and AMD to ``restrict the export of AI chips to China'' - GIGAZINE
Semiconductors are essential parts for manufacturing precision equipment such as smartphones and general home appliances, and many high-performance semiconductors are required, especially in the AI field, where technological advances have been remarkable in recent years. The United States is tightening regulations to tighten China, where demand for semiconductors is increasing, and in addition to first restricting the export of NVIDIA's main products specialized in AI 'H100' and 'A100', NVIDIA has gone out of its way to manufacture products to avoid regulations. Exports of products destined for China, such as the A800, were eventually restricted.
The US tightens restrictions on AI chip exports to China, making it difficult to export NVIDIA chips - GIGAZINE
As a result, China has no choice but to import low-performance semiconductors or manufacture semiconductors using its own technology, but since exports of even semiconductor manufacturing technology are restricted, China has become the world's most cutting-edge country. It has also been reported that they are not able to keep up with the process of going abroad.
Huawei is building a self-sufficient chip network by overcoming US economic sanctions - GIGAZINE
However, a Reuters investigation revealed that China is quietly acquiring semiconductors that are supposed to be regulated by the US government. It has been revealed that dozens of Chinese companies are bringing semiconductors such as H100, A100, and A800 into China that should not otherwise be available.
According to Reuters, in addition to Harbin Institute of Technology and University of Electronic Science and Technology, which are suspected of having ties to military institutions, Tsinghua University, Chongqing University, the Shandong Provincial Institute of Artificial Intelligence, and an unnamed People's Liberation Army organization are facing serious U.S. restrictions. It seems that it has been found that they have been acquiring semiconductors by some means since the 1990s.
The companies that bring semiconductors from the United States to China are small companies that are not NVIDIA or NVIDIA-approved retailers, and they are often small companies that are not NVIDIA or NVIDIA-approved retailers. It appears that the products are imported through local subsidiaries such as Singapore.
When interviewed about this matter, NVIDIA said, ``We comply with all export control laws, and we expect our customers to do the same.'' If so, we will take appropriate measures immediately.' The U.S. Department of Commerce declined to comment.
According to Reuters, the number of semiconductors that China has acquired is very small, ranging from a few to a few hundred at most.For example, building a model similar to OpenAI's GPT model would require 30,000 A100s. It is thought that it is far from being possible to build a sophisticated model from scratch.
Chris Miller, a professor at Tufts University who is familiar with the matter, said: ``Given that semiconductors are small and easily smuggled, it is unrealistic to think that U.S. export controls are perfect. This is hindering the development of technology.'
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in Hardware, Posted by log1p_kr