US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Saturday called on elected officials in Congress, Silicon Valley and US allies to deny China access to semiconductors and advanced technologies critical to national security.
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During an annual national defense forum in Simi Valley, California, she also spoke of the “greatest threat we have ever faced” and said “China is not our friend.”
The world’s two largest economies are engaged in a bitter economic and geopolitical rivalry, and his ministry is playing a leading role.
In October, Gina Raimondo unveiled a series of new restrictions on the export of the most efficient chips to China, particularly those used to develop artificial intelligence (AI), to prevent their use by Beijing for military purposes.
“I know that in the public there are CEOs of semiconductor companies who are not very happy because they are losing revenue. But that’s life. Protecting our national security is more important than short-term revenue,” the minister said on Saturday.
“I have some information for you,” she added. “Democracy is good for business. (…) In the long term, it is worthwhile to join us in defending the national security of our country.”
AFP
She pointed out that Nvidia, the specialist in the most sophisticated chips needed to develop the latest generation of AI, had developed a semiconductor with a performance just below the limit set by its ministry for export to China .
“It’s normal, that’s how the industry works,” she admitted. But “it’s not productive.”
“Every day China wakes up and tries to find a way to get around our export controls, which means that every minute of every day we have to strengthen and better enforce those controls, with our allies, with the Netherlands, with the Japanese and with the Europeans,” she explained.
AFP
She stressed that her department’s actions would not be effective without U.S. allies and asked Congress to help fund the cause.
“I have a budget of $200 million. It’s like the price of a few fighter jets. Let’s be serious and fund this operation (which is at the height of the operation): to protect America,” she insisted.
“America is a world leader in artificial intelligence and advanced semiconductor design,” she continued.
“It is thanks to our private sector (…) It is thanks to our public sector, which invests, that we are several years ahead of China. There is no question of letting them catch up.”