US explores better location trackers for AI chips, official says
Washington has espoused working with the industry to monitor the movements of the sensitive components, part of a broader plan to curtail smuggling and ensure American technology remains dominant. Last week, Beijing summoned Nvidia representatives to discuss US efforts around location-tracking and other alleged security risks related to its H20 chips.
'There is discussion about potentially the types of software or physical changes you could make to the chips themselves to do better location-tracking,' said Michael Kratsios, one of the architects of a US artificial intelligence (AI) action plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump last month.
'That is something we explicitly included in the plan,' the White House Office of Science and Technology Director said.
Trump's blueprint has provoked a backlash in Beijing, which for years railed against alleged US surveillance and Washington's efforts to curtail its tech sector. The Chinese government is particularly sensitive to semiconductor sanctions designed to counter Huawei Technologies or rising AI developers such as DeepSeek.
Trump officials recently pledged to lift export restrictions on the H20 to China as part of a trade deal they say will secure sales of rare-earth magnets to the US.
But Washington is also focused on curtailing the smuggling of chips. Kratsios said on Tuesday that he's not had conversations 'personally' with either Nvidia or Advanced Micro Devices about exploring location-tracking technology. Last week, Nvidia said that it does not have 'backdoors' in its chips.
Kratsios, who was in South Korea to attend an Apec Digital Ministerial Meeting, took aim at China's own AI action plan, which involves forming a global organisation to devise governance and technology standards.
'We believe each country should set their own destiny on how they think about regulating artificial intelligence,' he said. 'The US model, which puts innovation first, will be the most attractive.' BLOOMBERG
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
4 minutes ago
- Straits Times
China extends probe on imported beef in respite for global suppliers
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox China has extended for three months an investigation period for beef imports. BEIJING/CHICAGO - China has extended for three months an investigation period for beef imports, the commerce ministry said on Aug 6, giving global suppliers a breather from the prospect of trade curbs as the domestic industry battles to reduce a supply glut. The inquiry, launched in December 2024, came as slowing demand squeezes the world's largest market for imports and consumption, but does not target a particular country. Trade measures to reduce imports could hit major suppliers such as Argentina, Australia and Brazil, after China has already restricted imports from the United States. The investigation will now run until Nov 26, the ministry said, citing 'the large volume of investigative work and the complexity of the case'. It also pledged to ensure a 'healthy and stable' global trade environment by communicating with all parties. 'It's definitely a relief to beef exporters,' said Ms Even Rogers Pay, agriculture analyst at Trivium China. 'The extension buys Beijing a few months to see whether the domestic industry can regain profitability without safeguards, and hopefully to make progress on other issues with major beef exporters.' Although trade measures such as quota curbs were still not completely off the table, it was more likely something could be worked out quietly rather than being imposed, she added. Authorities have ramped up support for the industry, including financial measures. In July, an agriculture ministry official said beef cattle farming had been 'generally profitable' for three consecutive months. China imported a record 2.87 million metric tons of beef in 2024, but imports of 1.3 million metric tons for the first half of 2025 were down 9.5 per cent on the year. China has restricted imports of American meat by not renewing registrations that permitted shipments from hundreds of US beef facilities after they expired in March, according to the US Meat Export Federation, an industry group. 'The vast majority of our plants aren't eligible to ship to China presently,' federation spokesperson Joe Schuele said. 'While the safeguard investigation is important, it's not at the top of our minds. The most urgent situation is to get our plants registered for China.' Without exports to China, the federation estimated the US beef industry's lost opportunities at about US$4 billion (S$5.2 billion) annually. 'Consistent and transparent plant approvals, without expiration, were among the most important components of the 2020 Phase One Agreement with China,' federation President Dan Halstrom said, referring to the trade pact signed during US President Donald Trump's first term. 'It's time for China to return to those commitments.' REUTERS
Straits Times
4 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Britain asks China to clarify contested embassy plan
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The project comes as the Labour government is looking to reset long-fraught ties with Beijing. LONDON - The British government on Aug 6 asked China to explain partially redacted plans it has submitted for its new London embassy project, which has fanned worries from residents and human rights advocates. China has sought for several years to move its embassy from the chic Marylebone district to a sprawling historic site in the shadow of the Tower of London. It would be the largest embassy complex in Britain, and the project comes as the Labour government is looking to reset long-fraught ties with Beijing. On Aug 6, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner sent a letter to the firm DP9 that represents the Chinese government, requesting details on some documents transmitted during a public inquiry. Ms Rayner sought in particular details on portions of the plans that had been 'greyed-out' or 'redacted for security reasons'. The letter was published online by Luke de Pulford of the Interparliamentary Alliance on China, an international body, one of its copied recipients. The British government gave China until Aug 20 to respond. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Some ageing condos in Singapore struggle with failing infrastructure, inadequate sinking funds World Trump eyes 100% chips tariff, but 0% for US investors like Apple World White House says Trump open to meeting Russia's Putin and Ukraine's Zelensky Singapore MRT track issue causes 5-hour delay; Jeffrey Siow says 'we can and will do better' Singapore ST Explains: What is a track point fault and why does it cause lengthy train disruptions? Singapore ST and Uniqlo launch design contest for Singapore stories T-shirt collection Sport Son Heung-min joins Los Angeles FC in record MLS deal Singapore S'pore and Indonesia have discussed jointly developing military training facilities: Chan Chun Sing The proposed embassy site, which Beijing bought in 2018 for a reported US$327 million (S$421 million), once housed the Royal Mint. It was earlier home to a Cistercian abbey built in 1348 but is currently derelict. In 2022, the local authority, Tower Hamlets Council, unanimously rejected China's plans, which include designs by the renowned firm David Chipperfield Architects. In July 2024, Beijing resubmitted the proposals almost entirely unchanged. AFP
Business Times
4 minutes ago
- Business Times
Oil prices slide to 8-week low as US-Russia talks stir sanction uncertainty
[NEW YORK] Oil prices slid about 1 per cent to an eight-week low on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump's remarks about progress in talks with Moscow created uncertainty on whether the US would impose new sanctions on Russia. Brent crude futures fell 75 cents, or 1.1 per cent, to settle at US$66.89 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 81 cents, or 1.2 per cent, to settle at US$64.35. Those moves marked a fifth consecutive day of losses for both crude benchmarks, with Brent closing at its lowest since June 10 and WTI closing at its lowest since June 5. Trump said on Wednesday that his special envoy Steve Witkoff made 'great progress' in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Washington continued its preparations to impose secondary sanctions on Friday. Trump has threatened additional sanctions on Moscow if no moves are made to end the war in Ukraine. 'Everyone agrees this war must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,' Trump said, without providing further details. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Russia is the world's second-biggest producer of crude after the US, so any potential deal that would reduce sanctions would make it easier for Russia to export more oil. Earlier in the day, oil prices rose after Trump issued an executive order imposing an additional 25 per cent tariff on goods from India, saying it directly or indirectly imported Russian oil. The new import tax will go into effect 21 days after Aug 7. India, along with China, is a major buyer of Russian oil. 'For the time being, the 21-day start to the new Indian tariffs, while Russia tries to put together some kind of cease fire agreement ahead of President Trump's Aug 8 deadline, still leaves too much uncertainty around the situation,' Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho, said in a note. In addition to the tariff and sanction uncertainty, analysts said a planned Opec+ supply increase has weighed on the market in recent days. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, will visit China for the first time in over seven years, a government source said on Wednesday, in a further sign of a diplomatic thaw with Beijing as tensions with the US rise. In other news, Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, on Wednesday hiked its September crude oil prices for Asian buyers, the second monthly rise in a row, on tight supply and robust demand. Oil inventories Oil markets found support earlier in the day from a bigger-than-expected decline in US crude inventories last week. The US Energy Information Administration said energy firms pulled 3 million barrels of crude from inventories during the week ended Aug 1. That was much bigger than the 0.6-million-barrel draw analysts forecast in a Reuters poll, but was smaller than the decline of 4.2 million barrels that market sources said the American Petroleum Institute trade group cited in its figures on Tuesday. REUTERS
