“The extreme ‘country cap’ policy will affect mainstream computers in countries around the world, doing nothing to promote national security but rather pushing the world to alternative technologies,” Ned Finkle, Nvidia’s vice president of government affairs, said in a statement.
TrumpNvidia is the leading seller of so-called AI accelerators, which data-center operators use to develop artificial intelligence models. But the technology is based on the graphics processing units, or GPUs, that are used in gaming and other areas.
“It makes no sense for the Biden White House to control everyday data-center computers and technology that is already in gaming PCs worldwide, disguised as an anti-China move,” Finkle said.
The regulations, which could be issued as soon as Friday, would create three tiers of chip curbs, people familiar with the matter said this week. A group of US allies would still have full access to American chips, they said. But most countries would face new limits, including restrictions on the total computing power that could go to one nation. A representative of the White House’s National Security Council declined to comment on the rules.
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If the policy is announced, it would come less than two weeks before Donald Trump is set to be sworn in as Joe Biden’s successor.
“This last-minute Biden administration policy would be a legacy that will be criticized by US industry and the global community,” Finkle said. “We would encourage President Biden to not preempt incoming President Trump by enacting a policy that will only harm the U.S. economy, set America back, and play into the hands of US adversaries.”
