Dir.bg
It turns out that enforcing export controls on U.S. semiconductor chips may be more difficult than Washington thinks.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Chinese buyers are getting their computer systems equipped with Nvidia Blackwell chips through third-party vendors located in other regions.
Buyers in Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam are buying the resources for their own needs, but reselling some of them to Chinese companies, the publication said.
Just a week before leaving office, former President Joe Biden imposed sweeping new restrictions on chip exports that further tightened China’s access to U.S. AI semiconductors.
At the time, Nvidia warned that the restrictions would “stun” global innovation.
Last week, Microsoft was reported to have urged President Donald Trump to ease those restrictions as big tech companies seek to tap into China’s rapidly growing AI market.
China, for its part, recently warned its AI researchers to avoid visiting the United States.
In response to a query, an Nvidia spokesperson commented:
“AI data centers are among the most complex systems in the world. Anonymous vendors cannot simply acquire, ship, install, operate, and maintain Blackwell products in unauthorized countries. Customers are looking for systems with software, services, support, and upgrades – none of which anonymous vendors claiming to have Blackwell systems can provide.
We will continue to investigate any reports of possible supply diversion and take appropriate action.”