The US has introduced new rules restricting China’s access to vital components used in chips and artificial intelligence (AI). The move is part of a campaign to contain Beijing’s growing technological ambitions, but it falls short of tougher sanctions that were initially proposed.
The Department of Commerce has imposed curbs on the sale of high-bandwidth memory chips made by US and foreign companies. This will likely affect South Korean firms SK Hynix Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., as well as Idaho-based Micron Technology Inc. These components are crucial for data storage and AI applications, highlighting their importance in the field.
The restrictions aim to limit China’s ability to acquire these key components, which could potentially be used to enhance its own AI capabilities. The US move is seen as a significant escalation in its efforts to contain Beijing’s technological expansion, but it does not mark a major shift towards tougher sanctions on Chinese firms.
Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-02/us-tightens-curbs-on-china-s-access-to-ai-memory-and-chips-tools