U.S. Weighs Chip Licenses for Data Centers in Seven Countries

The Trump administration is weighing export licenses for controlled AI chips entering data centers in seven countries, a move aimed at limiting Chinese AI companies’ access to overseas computing capacity.

Under the proposal, data centers run by non-U.S. companies in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Norway, Brazil and South Africa would need U.S. licenses to import controlled chips, including Nvidia’s Blackwell and Rubin products. Operators would have to disclose the equipment’s recipient and intended use and accept ongoing oversight.

U.S.-operated data centers could qualify for an exemption if they block remote use by China, Russia and other countries under U.S. arms embargoes. Those operators would still have to report customers from those countries and the computing capacity they use.

Chinese AI companies that cannot directly import some advanced chips have been able to rent GPU capacity from overseas data centers. The proposal pairs licensing for imports by non-U.S.-operated centers in the seven countries with customer and capacity reporting for qualifying U.S.-operated centers.

The rules remain under interagency coordination. An announcement could come in November.