US expands export blacklist to keep computing tech out of China

More than 50 of the new entities added to the list are based in China, with others located in Iran, Taiwan, Pakistan, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. BIS says the restrictions have been applied to entities that acted “contrary to US national security and foreign policy,” and are intended to hinder China’s ability to develop high-performance computing capabilities, quantum technologies, advanced artificial intelligence, and hypersonic weapons.

“American technology should never be used against the American people,” said Jeffrey Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security. “BIS is sending a clear, resounding message that the Trump administration will work tirelessly to safeguard our national security by preventing U.S. technologies and goods from being misused for high performance computing, hypersonic missiles, military aircraft training, and UAVs that threaten our national security.”

Six of the newly blacklisted entities are subsidiaries of Inspur Group — China’s leading cloud computing service provider and a major customer for US chip makers such as Nvidia, AMD, and Intel — which BIS alleges had contributed to projects developing supercomputers for the Chinese military. The Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence is another addition to the list, which has criticized its inclusion.

“We are shocked that a private non-profit scientific research institution has been added to the entity list,” the research institute said in a statement to the Associated Press. “We strongly oppose this wrong decision without any factual basis and ask the relevant US departments to withdraw it.”

China’s Foreign Ministry has also condemned the export controls, saying the blacklist expansion “seriously violates international law and basic norms of international relations.” The updated export restrictions come amid already heated tensions between the US and China, with President Trump having imposed sweeping new tariffs against goods coming from the country since taking office.