AMD Hits US Roadblock in Selling AI Chip Tailored for China
- Commerce Department bars exports of powerful AI processors
- AMD sought US permission to sell AI chip to Chinese customers
AMD had hoped to gain a green light from the Commerce Department to sell the AI processor to Chinese customers.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergUS officials have told Advanced Micro Devices Inc. that the artificial intelligence chip it tailored for the Chinese market is too powerful to sell without a license, ensnaring another American semiconductor company in Washington’s crackdown on exports of advanced technologies.
AMD had hoped to gain a green light from the Commerce Department to sell the AI processor to Chinese customers since it performs at a lower level than what the company sells outside of China, according to people familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. But US officials told AMD it must still obtain a license from Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security in order to sell it, the people said.