The U.S. doesn't have to sacrifice innovation when imposing new regulations on artificial intelligence, including through potential export controls, said Jack Corrigan, a senior research analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). Corrigan said there is always “tension” between the government’s desire to issue restrictions and industry’s drive to develop new technologies, but “as it relates to AI, regulation doesn't necessarily need to get in the way of innovation.”
Chip export news
The Commerce Department is looking into whether a Chinese-made chip powering Huawei's latest smartphone was made or acquired through means that violated U.S. export controls, an agency official said this week. “We are working to obtain more information on the character and composition of the purported 7nm chip” included in Huawei’s new Mate 60 Pro+ smartphone, the official said. The Chinese telecommunications company announced the new phone during Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s trip to China earlier this month.
The U.S. government must take a host of actions to slow down Chinese "techno-economic dominance," including preventing Chinese firms from being listed on U.S. stock markets and limiting investment into China, Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, said in an Aug. 28 post.
American chipmaker Nvidia continued to raise alarms this week about the potential of additional export restrictions on the U.S. semiconductor industry, saying new rules will hurt its long-term sales to China.
British semiconductor company Arm, in its initial U.S. public offering this week, said it’s facing uncertainty from U.S. and U.K. export controls and doesn’t expect to receive an export license to ship certain high performance processor cores to China. The company also said it’s expecting to see slower growth in its China sales revenue due to several factors, including various government-imposed “trade and national security policies.”
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will visit Beijing and Shanghai Aug. 27-30 to meet with senior Chinese officials and business leaders, the agency announced Aug. 22. Raimondo looks “forward to constructive discussions on issues relating to the U.S.-China commercial relationship, challenges faced by U.S. businesses, and areas for potential cooperation.” China's Ministry of Commerce, according to an unofficial translation, said Raimondo's planned visit is "at the invitation of Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao." Ahead of the trip, the U.S. Commerce Department said, Raimondo met with Chinese ambassador Xie Feng and had a "productive discussion."
Republicans last week urged the Biden administration against meeting with Beijing to discuss semiconductor export controls, saying the U.S. should not negotiate its policies with China and should instead enact tougher restrictions. They specifically asked Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who is considering a trip to China, to pledge that the U.S. plans to increase its export restrictions against the country.
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The Bureau of Industry and Security last week expanded the scope of its nuclear-related export controls on China and Macau, saying the change was necessary to impose tighter license requirements on items that could “contribute to nuclear activities of concern.” The Nuclear Regulatory Commission also suspended a general license that had authorized exports of certain nuclear items for nuclear end uses in China.
Lawmakers, business groups and think tanks gave a mixed bag of immediate feedback on the Biden administration’s executive order restricting outbound investments in China, with some applauding the government’s initial, cautious approach, and others expressing frustration that the restrictions don’t go far enough.