On Monday, the US authorities introduced a brand new spherical of rules on international AI chip exports, dividing the world into roughly three tiers of entry. The foundations create quotas for about 120 international locations and permit unrestricted entry for 18 shut US allies whereas sustaining present bans on China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
AI-accelerating GPU chips, like these manufactured by Nvidia, presently function the spine for all kinds of AI mannequin deployments, reminiscent of chatbots like ChatGPT, AI video mills, self-driving automobiles, weapons concentrating on methods, and way more. The Biden administration fears that these chips may very well be used to undermine US nationwide safety.
In response to the White Home, “Within the improper arms, highly effective AI methods have the potential to exacerbate important nationwide safety dangers, together with by enabling the event of weapons of mass destruction, supporting highly effective offensive cyber operations, and aiding human rights abuses.”
The brand new guidelines construct on earlier chip controls from September 2022 and October 2023. The rules will take impact in 120 days, extending into the incoming Trump administration.
A recreation of numbers
The brand new rules set particular numerical limits on AI chip exports. Whereas first-tier international locations (the 18 key US allies) face no restrictions, international locations within the second tier can obtain as much as 50,000 so-called “superior computing chips,” with the chance to double that cap to 100,000 in the event that they signal know-how safety agreements with the US.
For many consumers, orders of as much as 1,700 superior chips won’t require licenses or rely in opposition to these nationwide caps—a coverage designed to hurry up purchases by universities, medical establishments, and analysis organizations.
