U.S. officials told Advanced Micro Devices that the artificial intelligence chips it customized for the Chinese market were too powerful to sell without a license, prompting another U.S. semiconductor company to avoid a Washington crackdown on exports of advanced technology. He said there was a possibility of being involved.
AMD has received a Commerce Department order to sell the AI processor to Chinese customers because it has lower performance than what the company sells outside China, a person familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. He said he was hoping to get the green light. Because this issue is private. However, U.S. officials have told AMD that it still needs to obtain a license from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security before it can be sold.