Wednesday, December 14th 2022
Export Regulations Hinder China's Plans for Custom Arm-Based Processors
The United States has recently imposed several sanctions on technology exports to China. These sanctions are designed to restrict the transfer of specific technologies and sensitive information to Chinese entities, particularly those with ties to the Chinese military or government. The primary motivation behind these sanctions is to protect American national security interests, as well as to protect American companies from unfair competition. According to Financial Times, we have information that Chinese tech Giant, Alibaba, can not access Arm licenses for Neoverse V1 technology. Generally, the technology group where Neoverse V-series falls in is called Wassenaar -- multilateral export control regime (MECR) with 42 participating states. This agreement prohibits the sale of technology that could be used for military purposes.
The US argues that Arm's Neoverse V1 IP is not only a product from UK's Arm but a design made in the US as well, meaning that it is a US technology. Since Alibaba's T-Head group responsible for designing processors that go into Alibaba's cloud services can not use Neoverse V1, it has to look for alternative solutions. The Neoverse V1 and V2 can not be sold in China, while Neoverse N1 and N2 can. Alibaba's T-Head engineer argued, "We feel that the western world sees us as second-class people. They won't sell good products to us even if we have money."
These new sanctions also impact other Shenzen-based chip design companies. One of them has noted that switching from Neoverse V1 to Neoverse N2 will take them longer to achieve their goals, as "V1's overall performance will kill N2 on all fronts." A source close to FT has stated that Arm is working with its clients in China to overcome these obstacles and achieve their goals, within the limits that sanctions impose.
Source:
Financial Times
The US argues that Arm's Neoverse V1 IP is not only a product from UK's Arm but a design made in the US as well, meaning that it is a US technology. Since Alibaba's T-Head group responsible for designing processors that go into Alibaba's cloud services can not use Neoverse V1, it has to look for alternative solutions. The Neoverse V1 and V2 can not be sold in China, while Neoverse N1 and N2 can. Alibaba's T-Head engineer argued, "We feel that the western world sees us as second-class people. They won't sell good products to us even if we have money."
29 Comments on Export Regulations Hinder China's Plans for Custom Arm-Based Processors
Well the irony is China might just fill the 40 thieves part in alibaba name :laugh:
Shame we don't stop all the food that gets sent over there too.
and also appears like there is a whole "sanctions department " in the US trying to justify their budget.
Not everyone is as talented and those that are already have jobs and most likely had to sign some sort of clause that prevents them from working for a competitor. You could of course do it off the books but unless you have a completely new chip design unlike the stuff you worked at your previous job. You'll eventually get caught and put in jail for selling company secrets or something. In the US its probably worse I assume as youre helping China circumvent their chip shortage issue by teaching them how to make the stuff which probably makes you some sort of traitor to your country.
China need to work this shit out on their own but they've been bootlegging other companies tech for so long that making something new is a bit of a challenge. Either they make a breakthrough and do it themselves or they find a company with pretty loose morals who are willing to smuggle chips out to them in enough numbers to keep China going. A former chip engineer with loose morals can also be found at the cost of them becoming traitor/enemy of the state.
I mean, China has been trying to woo a variety of chip maker employees from around the world, including 100 or so from TSMC in 2019/2020, a few scandals of attempted IP theft from mid-ranking employees in Europe, and some other related attempts.
They offer amazing deals at first; tax-free lifestyle, generous starting pay, VIP treatment, rare access beyond the Great Firewall, etc, but then begin taking it away if those poached individuals can't somehow boost their own domestic industry. The problem there is that Chinese fear failure, so those in management find ways to avoid being the one to sign off on revolutionary changes to what they know works. Then on top of that, is that any failure is immediately punishable, so some of those fresh, foreign blood ends up becoming scapegoats instead of trying to figure out the failure point, correct it, and move on.
And then that's on top of rampant grift; just look at how despite the massive investment into the "Big Fund", China has almost no success stories on domestic production and instead a lot of embezzled funds to chase after. Some companies had as many as 40 sub-contractors all trying to work on a section of the project, or passing it down just to avoid taking the blame if it failed.
And while it might just be claims of individuals, but those posting about what's really going on in China talk about how many things were developed just to work long enough to get contracts signed, then writing in exclusive tech support fees into the contract so that when it does fail, the company in question can keep billing for repairs and maintenance.
We all know China will steal tech anyway, is business as usual for them.
'nuff said.
It's about time something was done to have them understand corporate non governmental aligned ownership and intellectual property for that matter.
And nothing restricted them from innovation, the west allowed them the use of IP and still does.
They're presently trying to leverage RISC V to be There computational goto, something the west Also open sourced.
On the bright side, this will push China to create its own everything, eventually giving us more choices when either side's politicians get smart and decide to use their two neurones.
How many well-off business guys said something against the Chinese governement, to disappear for a bit, then come back and say nothing is wrong or happened...
Perhaps these policies could bring change so the lovely Chinese people don't have their oppressive government anymore but then again there's too many sheeple there.