NVIDIA plunges more than 4%, reports say the US will expand AI chip export restrictions beyond China
Reports suggest that the United States is considering expanding the export restrictions on artificial intelligence chips to countries beyond China. The US is contemplating limiting companies like NVIDIA, AMD, etc., from exporting AI chips to Middle Eastern countries. Previously, the US had restricted these companies from exporting AI chips to over 40 countries due to concerns about the products potentially being transferred to China
On October 15th local time, foreign media cited sources as saying that the United States is discussing setting limits on export licenses for American companies such as NVIDIA and AMD for certain countries' artificial intelligence (AI) chips. These restrictions will focus on Gulf countries, where the demand for AI data centers is increasing, and the measures will affect the AI capabilities of some countries.
The above considerations are still in the early stages and are subject to uncertainty. Companies such as NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel have not commented on this. Currently, it is unclear how various AI chip manufacturers will respond to the US restrictions. Reports suggest that it may be difficult to introduce comprehensive new policies in the final months of the Biden administration, and implementing such rules may be challenging.
The report also mentioned that the US had previously restricted NVIDIA, AMD, and other companies from exporting AI chips to more than 40 countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, out of concern that these products might end up in China.
NVIDIA had previously developed custom chips in the H20 series for the Chinese market to comply with US export regulations, and in February this year, H20 began accepting orders. After the launch of H20 in China, there were reports that due to significantly reduced performance and high prices, Chinese customers showed less interest in purchasing, leading them to increasingly choose domestically produced AI chips. In July this year, there were reports that NVIDIA is developing a new flagship AI chip for the Chinese market that will comply with current US export control regulations