China to tighten control on exports of AI chip-making materials

The Chinese government has announced that it plans to control the export of gallium and germanium products that are heavily used to produce semiconductors.

The Chinese government has announced plans for export controls on metals predominantly used to manufacture semiconductors used in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

On July 3, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued a joint statement with the General Administration of Customs which said the controls are aimed at protecting the interests of national security and that it will require a government-issued license to export specific gallium and germanium products. 

The controls begin on August 1 and include eight gallium-related products: gallium antimonide, gallium arsenide, gallium metal, gallium nitride, gallium oxide, gallium phosphide, gallium selenide and indium gallium arsenide.

They also cover six germanium products: germanium dioxide, germanium epitaxial growth substrate, germanium ingot, germanium metal, germanium tetrachloride and zinc germanium phosphide.

Gallium is a metal often found in electronics, with semiconductors being the most prominent use case along with transistors and lasers. It can also be used to make LEDs. Germanium is also used in the creation of semiconductors, along with solid-state electronics and fiber optic systems.

The statement said anyone who exports such products without proper permission or in excess will be punished.

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According to a 2023 report from the European Commission and the European Association of Critical Raw Materials Alliance (CRMA), “the global supply of germanium is still highly concentrated in China.”  The CRMA has also reported over 80% of the world’s gallium coming from China.

In October 2022 the US. imposed sanctions that deprived Chinese developers of accessing the most advanced semiconductors on the market. These included Nvidia’s A100 chips and the latest version, the H100. 

Nvidia chips A800 and H800, are currently accessible within the Chinese market. However, due to lesser technology, they can only support small-scale AI models. Chinese companies have been said to be searching for workarounds to the lack of access.

Currently, officials in the U.S. are mulling over the possibility of additional restrictions on their already imposed limitations to exports of high-level AI chips needed to produce powerful systems.

Since the AI boom, Nvidia, a major developer of coveted semiconductors, has seen its chip value skyrocket. Cointelegraph reached out to Nvidia to comment on the recent developments out of China, however they did immediately respond. 

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