Semiconductors, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence could be affected.
The US government wants to ban investments in certain technologies abroad, citing national security. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal (paywall), which had previewed corresponding reports from the Treasury and Commerce Departments. Although no countries are named, it is mainly China that is to be affected by the new rules, the newspaper quotes people familiar with the matter.
The documents also do not mention specific technologies, but a focus is said to be on sectors that could bolster Beijing’s military capabilities. Specifically, advanced semiconductors, quantum computers and artificial intelligence could be meant. The goal is to prevent U.S. capital and technical know-how from being “exploited in ways that threaten U.S. national security,” Bloomberg writes (paywall). At the same time, it said, U.S. companies should not be unduly burdened.
International allies are also to be enlisted in the program, similar to the U.S. export restrictions on semiconductor chips (we reported). In the trade conflict with the People’s Republic, the U.S. has also banned Chinese companies such as Huawei from the market on suspicion of espionage, among other things; numerous measures are also aimed at reducing dependence on Chinese imports of raw materials.
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