The United States announced Monday new restrictions on chips critical to the development of artificial intelligence (AI) through an interim final rule.

The new rule creates three levels of restrictions on the chips:

• There are no restrictions on chip sales to 18 key allies and partners. In addition, this policy provides flexibility to jurisdictions with strong technology protection systems. On the other hand, it ensures that technology ecosystems are aligned with U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. Finally, it allows for seamless large-scale procurement.
• Exports to countries subject to U.S. arms embargoes are prohibited. Indeed, powerful AI systems can increase significant risks to national security. For example, they could facilitate the development of weapons of mass destruction or support advanced offensive cyber operations. In addition, they may contribute to human rights violations, such as mass surveillance. Currently, certain countries of concern are actively using AI, including technologies developed in the United States, for these purposes. They also seek to undermine U.S. leadership in the field of AI.
• Licensing requirements and end-user fees for all other countries.

Critical chips 

According to the White House, orders for chips with a computing capacity equivalent to about 1,700 advanced GPUs do not need to be licensed and do not count toward national chip limits. 

Moreover, the majority of orders fall into this category. These mainly come from universities, medical institutions and research organizations for clearly innocuous purposes. 

On the other hand, the White House stresses that simplifying the processing of these orders improves the current system. Finally, this makes it possible to speed up shipments of low-risk U.S. technology globally.

Artificial Intelligence

The White House highlighted that artificial intelligence is taking a key role in security and the economy. It further stressed that the U.S. must lead this transition in a decisive manner. It is essential to ensure that U.S. technology drives the global use of AI and that adversaries cannot take undue advantage of it. 

Finally, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned about the growing risks to national security. During a press conference, she stated, “As AI becomes more powerful, the risks intensify even more.”