Tech Diplomacy Now: U.S. Tightens Export Controls on Chips and China Responds with Their Own
Last week, the U.S. Commerce Department announced the tightening of export controls on advanced semiconductors and the tools that produce them
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Top News of the Week
Announcements
Latest News
Technology Strategy and Policy
Artificial Intelligence
Telecommunications Networks and Infrastructure
Critical Minerals
Synthetic Biology
Quantum
Advanced Aerospace Technology
Semiconductors and Microelectronics
Energy and Climate
The Last Word
Top News of the Week – U.S. Tightens Export Controls on Chips and China Responds with Their Own
On Tuesday last week, the U.S. Commerce Department announced the tightening of export controls on advanced semiconductors and the tools that produce them. This announcement had been anticipated for months as the U.S. Government examined the impacts of the restrictions it put in place in October 2022. The newly released rules do not materially change what had been announced a year before, but they do attempt to close loopholes that China was exploiting to circumvent those restrictions.
By the end of the week, the PRC Government’s Ministry of Commerce announced their own export restrictions on graphite products. These restrictions join the ones announced over the summer on gallium and germanium.
More background:
China curbs graphite exports in latest critical minerals squeeze – Reuters, October 20, 2023
Biden Turns a Few More Screws on China’s Chip Industry – Foreign Policy, October 19, 2023
China’s march to military modernisation still has barriers to overcome: from US tech curbs to Beijing’s own distrust of private sector – SCMP, October 18, 2023
Commerce Strengthens Restrictions on Advanced Computing Semiconductors, Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment, and Supercomputing Items to Countries of Concern – Bureau of Industry and Security, October 17, 2023
Export Controls on China – CNAS, October 17, 2023
U.S. Tightens Curbs on AI Chip Exports to China, Widening Rift with Nvidia and Intel – WSJ, October 17, 2023
Announcements
Tech Diplomacy took center stage last week during Purdue University's inaugural Krach Institute Freedom Lecture with Chairman Keith Krach and Ambassador Nathaniel Fick of the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy.
“In addition to ensuring a strong foreign policy out in the world,” Fick emphasized during Thursday morning’s lecture “we need to build the institutional capacity inside our own government.”
“We set the goal of putting a trained technology diplomat in every US mission around the world by the end of next year, so every American embassy around the world will have someone in it - usually a Foreign Service officer who will be in charge of his portfolio and will have an understanding of its intricacies.”
The team at the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue is training the next generation of tech diplomats, transformational leaders, creative problem solvers, and defenders of the values we hold dear. Exciting times are ahead as we strengthen our tech diplomacy efforts on a global scale.
During last week’s Proiectul Romania 2030 summit, Michelle Giuda, CEO of the Krach Institute, delivered a compelling address on the pivotal role trust-based collaborations play in advancing the innovation and widespread adoption of trusted technology across diverse domains including energy, transportation, and digital connectivity, economic and political liberties, the rule of law, and national security.
Watch Michelle’s address here:
Latest News
A Financial Crisis in China Is No Longer Unthinkable – Greg Ip, WSJ, October 19, 2023
With Putin by His Side, Xi Outlines His Vision of a New World Order – NYTs, October 18, 2023
MI5 head warns of 'epic scale' of Chinese espionage – BBC, October 18, 2023
New Global Divisions on View as Biden Goes to Israel and Putin to China – NYTs, October 18, 2023
Technology Strategy and Policy
US House panel probes Sequoia’s Chinese tech investments – Financial Times, October 18, 2023
The New Economic Security State: How De-risking Will Remake Geopolitics – Foreign Affairs, October 19, 2023
U.S.-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement – Congressional Research Service, October 16, 2023
When China’s military lagged behind US, it pursued an ‘assassin’s mace’ tactic. Smart weaponry and AI are changing that – SCMP, October 14, 2023
Artificial Intelligence
“Math is hard” — if you are an LLM – and why that matters – Marcus on AI, October 19, 2023
Open-source AI firm Hugging Face confirms ‘regrettable accessibility issues’ in China – Semafor, October 20, 2023
China has a new plan for judging the safety of generative AI—and it’s packed with details – MIT Technology Review, October 18, 2023
China expected to attend UK summit on artificial intelligence next month – Financial Times, October 17, 2023
Telecommunications Networks and Infrastructure
Uyghurs in Afghanistan fear Taliban buying Huawei surveillance tech – The China Project, October 19, 2023
Secure-by-Design: Shifting the Balance of Cybersecurity Risk: Principles and Approaches for Secure by Design Software – CISA, October 16, 2023
Critical Minerals
China’s Latest Move in the Critical Mineral and Technology Trade War – Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy, October 23, 2023
Europe Aims to Break Its China Habit – Foreign Policy, October 20, 2023
AUKUS, critical minerals in focus for Australian PM on US trip – Reuters, October 20, 2023
Senate Intelligence Committee Leaders Host Public-Private Roundtable on Critical Minerals – October 19, 2023
Synthetic Biology
Monkey survives for two years after gene-edited pig-kidney transplant – Nature, October 11, 2023
What is a Foundry for Biology? – Foundry Theory, October 16, 2023
Give biotech a chance for the planet’s sake, EU lawmakers urged – TechCrunch, October 17, 2023
Researchers develop renewable and biodegradable power sources using bacteria – Dezeen, October 2, 2023
Quantum
The Race to Save Our Secrets From the Computers of the Future – NYTs, October 22, 2023
Mitigating The Quantum Threat Today – Forbes, October 23, 2023
Quantum leap: France’s plan to win the future of computing – Sifted, October 23, 2023
Congress must collectively champion quantum information science and technology – The Hill, October 8, 2023
Advanced Aerospace Technology
Hypersonic Race 2.0: China tests next-gen ‘waverider’ with revolutionary technology – SCMP, October 23, 2023
Semiconductors and Microelectronics
Tightened US rules throttle Alibaba and Baidu’s AI chip development – Financial Times, October 20, 2023
ASML Says New US Curbs Risk Hitting China Sales in Medium Term – Bloomberg, October 17, 2023
Energy and Climate
Tighter Chinese grip on critical minerals can spur robust response, say graphite suppliers – ReCharge, October 23, 2023
White House announces 31 tech hubs to focus on AI, clean energy and more – CNBC, October 23, 2023
Revision of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan – European Commission, October 20, 2023
Opinion and Commentary
The U.S. and Europe Need to Get Their Act Together on China – Noah Barkin, Foreign Policy, October 19, 2023
The Techno-Optimist Manifesto – Marc Andreesen, October 16, 2023
The Last Word
“As global demand for critical minerals continues to grow at exponential rates, the U.S. must identify secure sources of these minerals that are essential components for technologies critical to national security, including military equipment and defense systems, vehicles, and our energy grid.”
- Joint Statement by Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
About: Tech Diplomacy Now
The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue is the world’s preeminent trusted technology accelerator. As the leader of the new category of Tech Diplomacy, the Institute integrates technology expertise, Silicon Valley strategies, and foreign policy tools to build the Global Trusted Tech Network of governments, companies, organizations and individuals to accelerate the innovation and adoption of trusted technology and ensure technology advances freedom.