The United States has extended restrictions on exports of high-performance AI processors to some Middle Eastern countries. It concerns chips from Nvidia and AMD.
A filing by Nvidia, Reuters writes, would indicate that the U.S. government has imposed new export restrictions on the chip and AI giant’s high-performance AI processors in writing. These include the Nvidia A100 and H100 processors that are especially well-suited for machine learning tasks. The restrictions now also apply to a number of unspecified countries in the Middle East.
According to sources, chip maker AMD has also received a similar written notice to stop exporting its high-end AI processors to Middle Eastern countries. This manufacturer also recently had to stop exporting its AMD MI250 AI processors to China.
Probably still related to China
It is not known why export restrictions are now being extended to a new region as well. The US government wants to restrict exports of high-end chip technology for national security. This is because the processors could also be used for military applications.
According to Nvidia, the export of processors to China is still probably the main reason. The chip giant indicates that the U.S. government fears that through these countries, the processors could still end up in the hands of Chinese military agencies anyway.
According to Nvidia, the export restrictions now imposed do not affect sales.
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