The United States warned NVIDIA not to modify its chips to sell them to China. The head of the Department of Commerce charged against the graphics card manufacturer and sent him a blunt message: If they redesign a chip that allows access to artificial intelligence, I will restrict it the next day. The statements come after information was leaked regarding a new processor adapted to the Chinese market.
Within the framework of the Reagan National Defense Forum, Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, spoke about the restrictions imposed on China regarding semiconductors. According to the Democrat, The United States leads the world in artificial intelligence and that’s how it should be, so they will not give ground to the Asian giant. To achieve this, a policy must be applied that prevents the export of advanced semiconductor technology.
“We are going to deny them our cutting-edge technology,” Raimondo said. “I know there are CEOs of chip companies who got angry because they lost revenue, but that’s life. Protecting national security matters more than short-term profits.”
In the case of NVIDIA and the H20 chip that complies with the Department of Commerce restrictions, Raimondo warned that Companies must align with democracy or it will be detrimental in the future. “If you don’t sell in China within a decade, it won’t be because of our export controls. It’s because China is leaving you out,” she mentioned.
Although export controls establish certain limits for the technology, the Secretary of Commerce assured that The intention is to completely deny access to AI to China. The United States thinks that if artificial intelligence technology falls into the wrong hands, it would be “as deadly” as any weapon.
NVIDIA, in the crosshairs of the United States if it sells artificial intelligence chips to China
A few days ago it was reported that NVIDIA was about to launch a chip that evaded sanctions imposed on China. The H20 would be one of three powerful artificial intelligence processors specially designed for the Asian market. China represents an important market for the technology company, so it does not want to lose ground to local competitors.
Although NVIDIA has not confirmed the launch of the H20, some rumors suggest that will arrive during the first quarter of 2024. This has raised red flags in the Department of Commerce, which believes that companies should work hand in hand with the government on security issues. Raimondo ruled that if the manufacturer insists on launching an AI chip, they will regulate it.
“I tell you this, if you redesign a chip below the limit that allows them to do artificial intelligence, I will control it the next day”
Added to the H20 chip, another rumor suggests that NVIDIA will launch a modified version of the GeForce RTX 4090, its most powerful graphics card. The GeForce RTX 4090D would comply with export rules to be sold in China and its performance would be between the 4080 and 4090. At the moment there is no evidence that this will happen, but if so, the Government will be behind the manufacturer.