The United States wants to slow down China’s technological development by denying it access to the best Nvidia chips. Which doesn’t exactly seem to work.
Semiconductors play an important role in the great trade war between the United States and China. These essential elements for the development of cutting-edge technologies in AI or the military sector are one of Beijing’s weak points. Weak point on which the American rival wants to press as much as possible, with an embargo which continues to increase. But this closure seems to have limits.
All Nvidia chips available in China
When it comes to semiconductors, we don’t do better than Nvidia. The manufacturer notably produces the A100 and H100 chips, whose computing power has made these jewels essential for the development of artificial intelligence. The Californian company also released less powerful A800 and H800 chips, intended for the Chinese market.
All of them are currently banned for sale in China. And yet, tender documents to which he had access Reuters show that they continue to be available on the Chinese market in 2024. More seriously, certain entities particularly targeted by the American embargo for their links with the Chinese army, such as the Harbin Institute of Technology and the University of Science electronics and technology from China, were able to get their hands on the precious semiconductors.
Unknown leaks
The origin of the leaks in the American system remains unknown. Nvidia, for its part, follows the embargo imposed by Washington to the letter, by examining its customers’ transactions. “ If we learn that a customer has made an illegal resale to third parties, we will take appropriate action immediately. » indicated a spokesperson for the company.
It seems that in such a globalized market it is impossible to prevent the smuggling of such small components. The result would not be surprising according to semiconductor specialist Chris Miller, for whom the American embargo is not designed to be completely impervious. According to him, the objective is rather to “ throwing sand into the gears of AI development in China. ” Does it work ?
Source : Reuters
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