The US Government Blocks Access of NVIDIA’s A100 AI GPUs To a Chinese Firm, Citing Concerns of Technology Transfer

The US Government has reportedly halted the sale of NVIDIA's A100 AI GPU to a Chinese firm, hinting at the fact that we might see "harsher" restrictions moving forward.

For those unaware, the US had previously implemented steps to hinder the growth of AI in China by cutting off the supply of one of the necessary components, AI accelerators. China was blocked from accessing NVIDIA's H800s and A800s, which were already cut-down variants previously developed by the firm. With Team Green's top-notch H100 AI GPUs being cut off as well, the Chinese markets were in a state of despair, which created disruptions both within the camps of NVIDIA and its regional clients. However, it is now being reported that the US has blocked off access to another "vital" AI chip, the A100.

The Wall Street Journal reports that US officials have intervened in the sale of 24 of NVIDIA's A100 AI GPUs to a Chinese automotive company, TuSimple, claiming that there is a possibility that the AI chips might end up getting in China. TuSimple has disclosed that the chips are meant for a subsidiary in Australia, but after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce and other authorities, there was a risk of a "technology transfer," which was ultimately prevented by an intervention. The US has already notified TuSimple to separate its dealings from China to operate in the US, but things ultimately heated up, which is why the firm has decided to delist from NASDAQ as well.

While there isn't a piece of concert evidence to back the "China" claim, WSJ sources disclose that the company's CEO Cheng Lu did want the A100s to be shifted to China by redirecting them to the Australian offices, as Australia isn't under the list of the "banned" nations for AI chip sales. If this is true, the move by the US government was evident to happen since the authorities are particularly active in this matter, and as claimed by US officials multiple times, the rise of AI is a threat to "national security".

Would this mean that the A100s would be included in the banned list? Well, this isn't certain yet, but the U.S. Department of Commerce could do something unexpected here, depending on how the market evolves moving forward.

News Source: The Wall Street Journal