- US, Dutch, Japanese officials met about chip gear maintenance
- Trump team eyeing more Nvidia curbs, Chinese company sanctions
Trump officials recently met with their Japanese and Dutch counterparts about restricting
The working group-level meeting between US, Japanese and Dutch officials took place last week on the sidelines of a summit in Japan, people familiar with the matter said.
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That comes in addition to early discussions in Washington about sanctions on specific Chinese companies, other people said. Some Trump officials also aim to further restrict the type of
Shares in Japanese chip firms
WATCH: Bloomberg’s Minmin Low reports on Washington considering tougher controls on chip exports to China. Source: Bloomberg
The broad goal in Washington is to prevent China from further developing a domestic semiconductor industry that could boost its AI and military capabilities — and Trump appears to be picking up where Biden left off. In some areas, that means pursuing agreements with allies that never came to fruition in the prior administration. In others, it means adopting the priorities of the more hawkish members of Biden’s team, who were unable to build internal consensus on their more aggressive policy aims.
A White House representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Dutch foreign trade ministry and Japanese ministry of economy, trade and industry declined to comment.
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Despite the US government’s efforts, Chinese firms have achieved key technological breakthroughs, often using chips and equipment purchased ahead of a crackdown from Washington. There’s also concern that restricted technology is still making its way to the Asian nation. The latest potential example: Bloomberg News reported last month that US officials were
It could take months before the talks produce any new US regulations, as Trump makes staffing decisions at key federal agencies. It also remains to be seen whether allies will be more receptive to the new leadership in Washington. The prior administration had reached a handshake
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Biden’s team also handed off several other priorities to officials on Trump’s national security council, one of those officials said, and the new team was receptive. One key measure is blocking Chinese memory chipmaker
Some officials on Trump’s team also want to intensify restrictions on
The new administration is also eyeing curbs on sales of chips that
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Then there’s the so-called AI diffusion rule, imposed in the final week of Biden’s term. The measure divided the world into three tiers of countries and set maximum thresholds for the AI computing power that can be shipped to each. It also established mechanisms for companies to validate the security of their projects and access higher compute limits.
The rule, which will have an impact on data center development everywhere from Southeast Asia to the Middle East, drew harsh rebuke from companies including Nvidia, where Chief Executive Officer
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The White House is discussing how to streamline and strengthen that framework, according to several people familiar with the conversations, although what that entails is still in flux.
One idea favored by some in the administration would be to reduce the computing power that can be exported without a license. Under the current restrictions, chipmakers only have to notify the government before exporting the equivalent of as many as 1,700 graphic processing units to most countries. Some Trump officials want to reduce that threshold, people familiar with the matter said, which would expand the scope of the license requirement.
(Updates with context on meeting in third paragraph and Nvidia shares in fourth paragraph)
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To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Peter Elstrom, Debby Wu
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