October 23, 2024
A Fight Among China Hawks Could Imperil U.S. AI Dominance
Last week, news reports indicated the Commerce Department might restrict exports of artificial intelligence-focused semiconductor chips to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries. This followed a leak earlier this year that national security experts in the administration are quietly conducting a broader review of licenses proposed by Microsoft for consummation of its deal with G42, the UAE data center behemoth.
These potential restrictions reflect a deep ambivalence within the Biden administration on export of AI technology and the $1.5 billion G42 deal specifically. How the administration resolves this dispute will have an impact U.S. counter-China strategy, the U.S. posture in the Middle East, and American AI competitiveness. We think a forward-leaning approach toward foreign partnerships would best advance US AI dominance.
Rolling the dice now on partnerships like the G42 deal could be critical to ensuring U.S. dominance.
The AI foreign policy fight among China hawks boils down to the following: one faction in the administration, led by Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, believes the U.S. must give foreign partners access to our AI technology to deny Chinese dominance in this space. This includes everything from high-tech routers and network switches to railways ferrying critical minerals, such as copper, from African mines.
President Joe Biden's scheduled visit to Angola in December reflects the priority placed by this administration on massive investment in the Lobito Corridor in Africa to stem Chinese influence and specifically facilitate Western control of copper.
Read the full article on Newsweek.
More from CNAS
-
Richard Nephew on the U.S. military strikes on Iran’s nuclear program
Richard Nephew, expert on sanctions and Iran’s nuclear program, joins Emily and Geoff to discuss the long history of U.S. policy towards Iran, the role of sanctions in constra...
By Emily Kilcrease & Geoffrey Gertz
-
Energy, Economics & Security / Technology & National Security
Beyond Bans: Expanding the Policy Options for Tech-Security ThreatsStuck between a rock (the fact that banning all Chinese tech that poses a risk is expensive and impractical) and a hard place (the fact that many existing mitigation proposals...
By Geoffrey Gertz
-
Indo-Pacific Security / Energy, Economics & Security
75 Years Post-Korean War: Can Trust Be Rebuilt Under the New Administration?As President Lee Jae Myung begins his term, he's taking visible steps to reset the tone with North Korea: halting propaganda broadcasts and reemphasizing past military agreeme...
By Dr. Go Myong-Hyun
-
Middle East Security / Energy, Economics & Security
Will Iran block the Strait of Hormuz?The world has held a close eye on the Strait of Hormuz lately with Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran. Nearly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil passes through the narrow wat...
By Rachel Ziemba