What to Know About the U.S. Curbs on AI Chip Exports to China

The Biden administration has announced it is tightening export controls on semiconductor chips used for artificial intelligence and the equipment used to manufacture them, in an effort to prevent China from acquiring or producing advanced chips. The rules update restrictions that the U.S. announced a year ago prohibiting the sale of chips above a certain capability threshold in China and other restricted countries, and banned the sale of specific chip manufacturing equipment. The new rules aim to close loopholes that emerged from the 2022 export control curbs, and to account for technological developments since then. The export restrictions announced Tuesday have been extended to chips that have fewer capabilities than those that were previously subject to the rules. They also imposed controls on additional types of chip manufacturing equipment.