The Biden Administration is set to restrict Chinese companies' access to U.S. cloud computing services, this was reported by The Wall Street Journal citing sources close to the Administration.
If enacted, the new rule would require U.S. cloud service providers, such as Amazon or Microsoft, to request permission from the government before offering and providing storage services in the cloud to Chinese customers in the event that these services use advanced artificial intelligence chips.
The Biden administration's move is part of the conflict between Washington and Beijing over access to the world's most advanced technology supply chain and could further strain relations between the global economic superpowers. On Monday, Beijing announced restrictions on the export of metals used in advanced chip manufacturing, an announcement that came days before Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's visit to China.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Commerce Department is expected to implement the restriction in the coming weeks as part of an expansion of its semiconductor export control policy introduced last October. The restriction would be a further step in the face of warnings from national security analysts that Chinese artificial intelligence companies may have circumvented current export control rules by using cloud services. These are very worrying developments, especially for AI applications in the military field.
