US Tells AMD, Nvidia to Stop Selling Advanced AI Chips to China
AMD and Nvida are facing new license requirements imposed by the US government that restrict sales of advanced chips used for artificial intelligence to China.
As Protocol reports(Opens in a new window), the restrictions will block China's access to high-end Nvidia and AMD GPUs. Nvidia confirmed the new license requirements in a Form 8-K(Opens in a new window) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It will impact the sale of Nvidia's existing A100 and A100X GPUs, DGX Systems(Opens in a new window), as well as its forthcoming H100 chips. For AMD, sales of its M1200-series chips are impacted. Future chips are also covered under the restrictions if they equal or surpass the current silicon in terms of peak performance and chip-to-chip I/O performance.
The reason for the new restrictions are related to national security and foreign policy interests, with the US Commerce Department stating the goal is to prevent, "China’s acquisition and use of U.S. technology in the context of its military-civil fusion program to fuel its military modernization efforts, conduct human rights abuses, and enable other malign activities."
As Reuters reports(Opens in a new window), China opposes the new restrictions. Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson Shu Jueting told a news conference yesterday that the move, "undermines the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and the stability of global industrial and supply chains."
The restrictions will be staggered, with Nvidia confirming(Opens in a new window) it will be allowed to fulfill orders of the A100 and complete development of its H100 chip through the company's Hong Kong facility until Sept. 1 2023. Any exports heading to US customers can continue until March 1
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