Tuesday, December 12th 2023

United States Ease Stance on NVIDIA AI Chip Exports to China

The United States is softening restrictions on the significant GPU maker NVIDIA, selling artificial intelligence chips to China. While still limiting advanced chip exports deemed strategically threatening, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo clarified this week that NVIDIA could supply some AI processors to Chinese commercial companies. Previously, Raimondo had sharply criticized NVIDIA for attempting to sidestep regulations on selling powerful GPUs abroad. Her comments followed rumors that NVIDIA tweaked chip designs to avoid newly imposed export controls narrowly. However, after discussions between Raimondo and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, the Commerce Department says NVIDIA and other US firms will be permitted to export AI chips to China for general commercial use cases. Exports are still banned on the very highest-end GPUs that could enable China to train advanced AI models rivaling American developments.

Raimondo said NVIDIA will collaborate with the US to comply with the export rules. Huang reaffirmed the company's commitment to adherence. The clarification may ease pressures on NVIDIA, as China accounts for up to 25% of its revenue. While optimistic about recent Chinese approvals for US joint ventures, Raimondo noted frustrations linger around technology controls integral to national security. The nuanced recalibration of restrictions illustrates the balances the administration must strike between economic and security interests. As one of the first big US technology exporters impacted by tightened restrictions, NVIDIA's ability to still partly supply the valuable Chinese chip market points to a selective enforcement approach from regulators in the future.
Sources: Tom's Hardware, Reuters
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32 Comments on United States Ease Stance on NVIDIA AI Chip Exports to China

#26
kapone32
dragontamer5788A small fraction of the nukes that it made literally last year.



Okay, I'm imagining it.


Bullet is cheap, and airburst deals with it. Didn't even need AI, just aimbots + machinegun + airburst rounds. The problem is that these systems are being blown up by long-range Russian Helicopters and Ukraine doesn't have F16s to deal with Russian Helicopters yet.

Airburst is a 1940s / WW2 era technology. Machinegun is also WW2 era. Add on a modern, relatively lightweight RADAR + computer system and bam, you've got dead drones.

You're acting like you're the only one who is paying attention to the war. Guess what? Northrop Grumman released videos 2+ years ago already showing the US counter-drone gun. This gun system is light enough to mount on a common F150 pickup truck (let alone the heavier Humvees or other heavier equipment the military has access to), and a 2nd F150 can load up the RADAR system to help aim. The problem you're talking about is solved. Its the "next level", the Helicopters that outrange such a gun with rockets, that Ukraine needs help with.

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Replace machinegun with shotgun and you've got Israel's APS. Same-same really, but shotgun means that the "burst" is close-range and the "last line of defense" for the tanks the APS protects. APS is also designed for 500mph targets (aka: rockets) instead of drones, but it'd work just fine vs drones.


I'm not only paying attention to the Ukrainian war. I'm also paying attention to Israel, who actually has modern tech like APS on their tanks. Russia/Ukraine is fighting the 1980s war with 1980s equipment, they don't actually have the latest technology.

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There's no such counterweapon for masses of nukes. 500 nukes isn't enough for strategic parity, China (and any country attempting to reach MAD) needs enough that even with the 10% of nukes (or whatever) that get through our missile defense systems, enough of our cities blow up that China at least achieves MAD. That's why nuclear remains the forefront of strategic threat.
I understand how old AA guns are. Those are AA Guns with tech that can be improved. That for me is why the 4090 is popular with them. It skirts military tech.
Drones have destroyed over 2500 Russian tanks alone.

Everyone in my age group is aware that Nukes are already capable of destroying us all as we were taught that in school. Do you have any idea how many Nukes the Russians and US made in the decades after WW2? There is no real incentive for China to do that as they have plenty of supply, this is not Iran we are talking about. Let's keep in mind that it does not matter how big your economy is building 3 Aircraft Carriers in 10 years is not for nothing.

Nuclear has no winner. In the West we had Love Island and Three Mile Island. There are already enough Nukes to make Earth look like Bladerunner. The wind does not just blow in one direction. Every month Putin speaks about Nuclear with no intent of using it.

The Nuclear we have today is an exponent of what was used on Nagasaki. I promise you though that tech is from the 20th century though. The Russians released a Hydrogen bomb sometime in the the 70s that made everybody say WTF are we doing.

The Korean war is interesting as it is the only 20th century Human conflict between major forces that has been unresolved. The Russians and Chinese know that what happened to Germany will happen to Korea if the North and south coalesce.
Dr. DroIf anything, capitalism has become far more aggressive since the 1980's, with large strides towards its ideologically enforceable side being taken in the past decade or so. We are heading on a fast lane to the same kind of corporate dystopia depicted in Cyberpunk 2077, "woke" and "cancel culture" are merely the first symptoms of that.

But this is going to veer into a quite politically charged conversation, so I suppose it's better to call it quits here :toast:
If you live in social media you could see it that way. The UAW, SAC, UPS and others have all made huge strides in worker rights through Unions. Just look at how hard Amazon works works at discouraging unions. Woke in the 1400s was called the Age of enlightenment. As much as some have used it banning 1984, Lord of the Flies and Johnny Quest because they make them that call that a bad word feel uncomfortable.

Just look at the story of the Right wing in America having the DA of the State take a case to the Supreme court because "woke" has to be fought. It is for a woman who needs a medical abortion to ensure the quality of life for her and the kids she has to raise.

Please read or watch the story of Hershey PA.
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#27
dragontamer5788
kapone32There is no real incentive for China to do that as they have plenty of supply
kapone32Nuclear has no winner. In the West we had Love Island and Three Mile Island. There are already enough Nukes to make Earth look like Bladerunner. The wind does not just blow in one direction. Every month Putin speaks about Nuclear with no intent of using it.
China is literally the #1 country building nukes right now. 500 nukes isn't enough for them. Current Pentagon estimates is that China is aiming at 1500 nukes, mostly ICBMs. But in 2019 China has publicly announced its strategic air-to-air refueling bomber, and the Type 094 Chinese nuclear sub completes the nuclear triad. Say that what you will, but China is right now building back up to 1970s/1980s style MAD Dr. Strangelove politics. They are the country building the most nukes in the world right now.

This China GPU export ban isn't about drones or AI or whatever... its about nukes. Everyone's a bit scared of it (including China), everyone is keeping it on the down low. China doesn't want to freak out its business partners after all. But its time to start dusting off those MAD playbooks, because we're about to go through it again, except with 3x countries instead of just 2x countries embraced in MAD.
Posted on Reply
#28
evernessince
Dr. DroThe singular objective of any corporation is to make money, the so-called "greed". It is a business, not a charity. If you have a high profit margin, a high product yield, and a high demand, congratulations: your company is highly successful and has an excellent CEO. Investors will be avid to lend you their money. Your shares will be worth tons! All is well in the world.

There's no finalized specification for this card, so you're jumping the gun here, although one thing is certain: it's not a simple matter of reflashing the graphics card, especially if there are differences between their hardware configuration.
Explaining their motives doesn't excuse their actions. It's just highlighting the reason why regulations are needed in the first place, because companies will place profit above everything.
Posted on Reply
#29
londiste
evernessinceCreating a 4090D that can can be flashed to a full 4090 to evade a sanctions meant to prevent China from getting 4090 level or greater cards is indeed acting in bad faith.
Well, this is something should to be proven first.
Just saying that about a card that is not yet even released is an interesting supposition, nothing more.

But this story is essentially non-news. CEO is saying to Commerce Secretary that the company is going to be abiding to sanctions.
Posted on Reply
#30
AnotherReader
ShihabThe under-the-table theory is plausible, but it's also plausible someone figure out that having one your major corps losing quarter of its revenue is probably not a good thing.
While both theories are plausible, they could both be correct at the same time, especially given that the USA is arguably the most corrupt country in the Western world.
Dr. DroIf anything, capitalism has become far more aggressive since the 1980's, with large strides towards its ideologically enforceable side being taken in the past decade or so. We are heading on a fast lane to the same kind of corporate dystopia depicted in Cyberpunk 2077, "woke" and "cancel culture" are merely the first symptoms of that.

But this is going to veer into a quite politically charged conversation, so I suppose it's better to call it quits here :toast:
While corporatism is making worryingly large strides, Woke and Cancel culture have no relation to it. As an aside, CyberPunk 2077 is not the first depiction of a corporate dystopia: Snow Crash predates it by nearly thirty years and Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" was published in 1906.
Dr. DroAnd what's to say that our own governments don't intend on using this technology this way in order to sway and influence both internal and external policy? Help perpetuate power? Or garner public support for external conflict? In essence, there are no good guys in this story.
Without a doubt, many so-called democratic governments are exploring morally dubious uses of AI as well. However, our own governments are somewhat accountable to us whereas foreign powers like China aren't.
Posted on Reply
#31
Assimilator
kapone32I can't buy Nukes.
Fortunately facts, as have already been presented to you, don't care if you choose to ignore them. China is building lots of nuclear capacity and they are building it fast.
londisteWell, this is something should to be proven first.
Just saying that about a card that is not yet even released is an interesting supposition, nothing more.
That member consistently lies and mods do nothing. Best thing you can do is put them on ignore so you don't see their drivel.
Posted on Reply
#32
Solaris17
Super Dainty Moderator
kapone32The Nuclear we have today is an exponent of what was used on Nagasaki.
dragontamer5788China is literally the #1 country building nukes right now


Wild; members continuously impress me with the lack of ability to stay on topic. We couldnt even last 2 pages before this wasnt even about GPUs.
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