According to Bloomberg News, the Biden administration is contemplating imposing additional restrictions on China’s access to chip technology used in artificial intelligence. The proposed measures would specifically target China’s use of gate all-around (GAA), a cutting-edge chip architecture that enhances performance and reduces power consumption. The United States has been taking steps to limit Beijing’s access to advanced AI chips, including those developed by Nvidia, due to concerns that China could utilize the technology for military purposes. The timing of the final decision remains uncertain as the details of the potential rule are still being determined.
According to Kevin Wolf, a former Commerce official and Washington lawyer, the new controls being implemented by allied countries were originally agreed upon in previous Wassenaar Arrangement meetings. However, these controls were not approved at the time due to Russia’s opposition to the consensus-based regime’s publication of the controls.
Wolf highlighted that the UK has already taken action by imposing controls on technology for integrated circuits with “Gate all-around Field-Effect Transistor” (GAAFET) structures in March. It is expected that the U.S. and other allies will follow suit and implement these GAAFET controls, along with other controls that were agreed upon earlier, during the summer.
According to the report, the rule has not yet been finalized due to criticism from industry officials regarding its broad scope. It remains unclear whether the ban would hinder China’s development of its own GAA chips or if it would aim to prevent U.S. chipmakers and other foreign companies from selling their products to Chinese firms.
The report also mentions that leading semiconductor companies, including Nvidia, Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Samsung, are planning to begin mass production of GAA-designed chips within the next year.
When contacted for comment, Nvidia and Intel declined to respond, while the other companies and the U.S. Department of Commerce did not immediately provide a comment.
The imposition of stricter export controls on advanced semiconductors to China has already had a negative impact on chipmakers. Companies like Intel and Qualcomm have reported a decline in sales after the United States revoked some export licenses for a customer in China.
According to a Bloomberg report, there have been preliminary talks about restricting the export of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips. These chips, produced by companies like SK Hynix in South Korea and Micron Technology, are essential for enhancing the performance of artificial intelligence applications and are utilized by companies such as Nvidia.