Bloomberg: US Plans to Restrict AI Chip Exports to Southeast Asia to Prevent Re-Export to China
Bloomberg reported on July 4 that the Trump administration is drafting new regulations to restrict advanced artificial intelligence chips from companies such as NVIDIA from being exported to Malaysia and Thailand, aiming to prevent these chips from being re-exported to China. The U.S. Department of Commerce draft requires export licensing controls on AI chips sent to the two Southeast Asian countries, while formally abolishing the global framework for "artificial intelligence dissemination rules" previously proposed by the Biden administration.
The new rules will cancel the global restrictions but will maintain existing semiconductor export control measures targeting China and another 40 countries. Data shows that in the first quarter of 2023, the import of artificial intelligence chips into Malaysia surged by 150%, prompting U.S. concerns about re-export trade. James Lewis, a technology expert at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, pointed out: "Southeast Asia has become a key node in the supply chain, but also a weak regulatory area. This move is the United States trying to find a new balance between technological competition and security."
According to the draft, companies based in the United States and its dozens of allied countries will be granted a few months of grace period after the new rules take effect, during which they can export chips to Malaysia and Thailand without applying for a license. The new rules also include exemption clauses to ensure that key supply chain segments such as chip packaging are not disrupted. It is worth noting that in a recent case heard by the Singapore court, three defendants were charged with falsely stating the final destination of servers (containing high-end NVIDIA chips) being transported to Malaysia, highlighting regional regulatory challenges.
Industry research firm TechInsights estimates that if the new rules are implemented, the cost of building data centers in Southeast Asia may rise by 20%. Currently, companies such as Oracle are actively investing in Malaysian data centers. Although officials in Malaysia have pledged to strengthen import inspections, the new U.S. draft indicates lingering concerns.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836754408852489/
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