The Biden administration on Monday issued sweeping rules governing how AI chips and models can be shared with foreign countries, in an effort to establish a global framework that would will guide how artificial intelligence spreads across the world in the years to come.
With the power of AI rapidly increasing, the Biden administration has said that laws are necessary to keep the transformative technology under the control of the United States and its allies, and out of the hands of adversaries who want to use it in their military. can be used to increase Cyber attacks and other threats to the United States.
Tech companies have protested the new rules, saying they threaten their sales and the future prospects of the US tech industry.
The laws put different restrictions on the number of AI chips that companies can ship to different countries, essentially dividing the world into three categories. The United States and 18 of its closest partners — including Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan — are exempt from any restrictions and can freely buy AI chips.
Countries already subject to US arms embargoes, such as China and Russia, face pre-existing restrictions on AI chip purchases. Will have to.
All other countries – most of the world – will be subject to limits on the number of AI chips that can be imported, although countries and companies are able to increase that number by entering into special agreements with the US government. These laws may declassify some foreign governments: even countries that are close trading partners or military allies of the United States, such as Mexico, Switzerland, Poland or Israel, from the ability to buy large quantities of American AI products. will face ban.
The rules are intended to prevent China from acquiring the technology it needs to develop artificial intelligence from other countries, after the United States. China banned such sales in recent years.
But the regulations also have broader goals: to make allied countries the location of choice for companies to build the world’s largest data centers, in an effort to keep the latest AI models within the borders of the United States and its partners.
Governments around the world, particularly in the Middle East, are pouring money into attracting and building massive data centers in an effort to become the next hub of AI development.
Jack Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters on Sunday that the rule would ensure that advanced artificial intelligence training infrastructure is under the jurisdiction of the United States or close allies, and that “it Capacity doesn’t end up illegally like chips and batteries and other industries that we had to invest hundreds of billions of dollars to bring back to shore.
Mr. Sullivan said the rule would “provide greater clarity to our international partners and industry” while countering national security threats from malicious actors who could use “American technologies against us.”
It will be up to the Trump administration to decide whether to keep the new rules or how to implement them. In a call with reporters on Sunday, Biden administration officials said the rules have bipartisan support and are consulting with the incoming administration about them.
Although companies in China have begun to develop their own AI chips, the global market for such semiconductors is dominated by American companies, particularly Nvidia. This dominance has given the US government the ability to regulate the flow of AI technology around the world, by restricting US company exports.
Companies have protested these limits.arguing that sanctions could prevent harmless or even beneficial forms of computing, anger U.S. allies and ultimately force global buyers to buy non-U.S. products, such as those made by China. .
In a statement, Ned Finkle, Nvidia’s vice president of government affairs, called the rule “unprecedented and misguided” and said it “threatens to derail innovation and economic growth around the world.” “
“Instead of mitigating any risk, Biden’s new rules will only weaken America’s global competitiveness, undermining the innovation that keeps America ahead,” he said. Nvidia stock fell more than 2 percent on Monday morning.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a statement that the company is confident it can “fully comply with the rule’s high security standards and meet the technology needs of countries and customers around the world who rely on us.” Depend.”
In a letter to congressional leadership Sunday seen by The New York Times, Jason Oxman, president of the Information Technology Industry Council, a group representing tech companies, asked Congress to consider the action. Use your discretion to terminate. The Trump administration did not.
John Neufer, president of the Semiconductor Industry Association, said his group was “extremely disappointed that a policy change of this magnitude and impact was brought to the fore just days before a presidential transition and without any meaningful input from the industry.” being taken out of.”
“The stakes are high, and the time is full,” Mr. Neufer added.
The rules, which run into more than 200 pages, also set out a system in which companies such as Microsoft and Google that operate data centers can apply for special government approval.
In exchange for adhering to certain security standards, these companies can then trade AI chips more freely around the world. Companies would still have to agree to have 75 percent of their total AI computing power in the United States or its allied countries, and locate no more than 7 percent of their computing power in any one country.
The rules also set prior controls on the weights of AI models, parameters unique to each model that determine how the artificial intelligence makes its predictions. Companies setting up data centers overseas will need to adopt security standards to protect this intellectual property and prevent adversaries from gaining access to it.
Governments facing sanctions can increase the number of AI chips by signing agreements with the US government, in which they agree to comply with US goals for protecting AI.
Microsoft under the guidance of the US government Made a deal G42 partnered with Emirati firm G42 last year in exchange for removing Huawei devices from its systems and taking other steps.
The Biden administration may issue more rules related to chips and AI in the coming days, including an executive order to encourage domestic energy production for data centers, and new rules aimed at importing the most advanced from China. Chips have to be put out, people who are familiar with it. said the conversation.
The latter comes in response to the rule. Last year’s event In which US authorities discovered that Huawei, a sanctioned Chinese telecoms firm, was sourcing parts for its AI chips that were manufactured by a leading Taiwanese chip firm, in violation of US export controls.
The announcements are among a flurry of new regulations the Biden administration is rushing to issue ahead of a presidential turnover as it seeks to close loopholes and cement its legacy on countering China’s technological advances. has been The administration has issued new export limits. China chip making equipment and other countries, recommended New restrictions on Chinese dronesnew Chinese companies were added. In the military blacklist And hurried Finalize the new subsidy. For American chip manufacturing.
But the AI regulations released Monday appear to be the clearest and most consequential of these initiatives. Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how scientists conduct research, how companies allocate work among their employees, and how the military operates. While AI has many beneficial uses, U.S. officials have become increasingly concerned that it could enable the development of new weapons, help countries monitor adversaries and otherwise alter the global balance of power. Can upset balance.
Jimmy Goodrich, a senior advisor for technology analysis at the RAND Corporation, said the rules would create a framework to protect U.S. security interests while allowing firms to compete overseas. “They are also looking to the future, trying to secure supply chains led by the US and allies before they offshore to the highest subsidized bidder,” he said. said