Media: Trump Administration Considering Canceling AI Chip Export Classification Rules Established in Biden Era
According to Reuters, three sources said that the Trump administration is working on revising a regulation limiting global access to artificial intelligence (AI) chips imposed during the Biden era, including potentially canceling the rule of dividing the globe into several tiers to help determine how much advanced semiconductor a country can obtain.
The sources noted that the plan is still under discussion and warned that adjustments could be made. However, if implemented, the cancellation of the tier system could make American chips a more powerful tool in trade negotiations for the Trump administration.
The report stated that the U.S. Department of Commerce released the "AI Dissemination Framework" one week before the end of former President Biden's term in January this year. Companies must comply with its restrictions starting May 15th.
Currently, the rule divides the world into three tiers. The 18 countries and regions in Tier One can obtain AI chips without restriction. Other approximately 120 countries belong to Tier Two and can obtain a limited number of AI chips. China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and other countries in Tier Three are completely banned from obtaining such chips.
The sources said that officials in the Trump administration are considering abandoning the tiered approach in the rule and replacing it with a global licensing system based on intergovernmental agreements.
"There are voices pushing to cancel the tiered system," Ross, who served as commerce secretary during Trump's first term, said in an interview on Tuesday. "I think this is still an ongoing effort," he added, noting that intergovernmental agreements are an option.
Other potential modifications include lowering the threshold for obtaining license exemptions. Under current regulations, orders below the equivalent computing power of about 1,700 NVIDIA high-performance H100 chips do not count towards national quotas and only need to be reported to the government, without requiring an export license.
A source said that the Trump administration is considering limiting order sizes to below the equivalent computing power of 500 H100 chips.
Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830795479116935/
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