New U.S. Chip Export Control Regulations Take Effect, AI Industry Faces Harsh Conditions

The U.S. government recently officially announced new regulations on chip exports to China, which are stricter than market expectations. The new regulations mainly use computing power as the evaluation standard and almost cover all high-performance chips, including some consumer-grade products.

This policy has a huge impact on the AI industry. In addition to restricting chip exports, the new regulations set multiple barriers, including expanding the list of restricted countries and tightening export licenses for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The U.S. Department of Commerce also plans to limit China's access to cloud computing resources.

The core objective of the new regulations is to comprehensively prevent China from obtaining advanced chips and their manufacturing capabilities. Although the industry generally opposes this, the U.S. government seems determined to enforce this policy to the end. The Secretary of Commerce stated that the relevant regulatory provisions will be updated at least once a year.

For chip companies, this is undoubtedly a major blow. Companies like NVIDIA and Intel will be severely affected in the Chinese market. The A800 and H800 chips specifically developed by NVIDIA for the Chinese market are also on the list of restrictions. The company's stock price has fallen sharply, reflecting investors' pessimistic expectations.

Some analyses suggest that this move by the United States reflects its strategy of "weaponizing dependence," which involves using its dominant position at key points in the industrial chain to achieve strategic objectives. This practice may accelerate the restructuring of global supply chains.

This is undoubtedly a severe challenge for the AI industry in China. In the short term, there is uncertainty regarding the delivery of a large number of ordered chips. In the long run, accelerating the development of domestic chips has become an inevitable choice. Although the current capabilities of domestic chips are still difficult to fully meet market demand, this challenge may also become a driving force for promoting technological innovation in China.

Despite facing difficulties, China still demonstrates strong capabilities in the field of AI, such as large models. Chip issues may affect the pace of development, but they will not fundamentally hinder the progress of China's AI industry. This challenge may become an opportunity for further enhancement of China's technological strength.