Japan last week announced new export controls on semiconductor-related items and other sensitive technologies, according to an unofficial translation of a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry notice. The items will need export licenses when destined to certain countries “if there is a risk that they will be used for the development of conventional weapons, etc.,” Japan said. Exemptions will apply for certain exports of goods involving “allied nations' forces for joint training” activities.
The White House last week released a summary of the April 1 reports it received from U.S. agencies on President Donald Trump’s America-first trade policy agenda (see 2501210023). The summary includes brief mentions of export controls and investment restrictions.
The Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence criticized the Bureau of Industry and Security's decision last week to add the research organization to the Entity List and urged BIS to remove it (see 2503250075). "Artificial intelligence is a shared resource for humanity, akin to electricity and other transformative technological advancements," the academy said, according to a report from state-run news outlet China Daily. "The US decision contradicts the spirit of scientific innovation and global cooperation, severely undermining openness in AI research and development.” The academy was added for allegedly trying to buy export-controlled U.S. items to develop large AI models and advanced semiconductors for China’s military.
The U.S. is asking Malaysia to more closely track shipments of advanced semiconductors, including chips made by U.S. firm Nvidia, to make sure they’re not transiting the country before ending up in China in violation of U.S. export controls, the Financial Times reported. Trade Minister Zafrul Aziz said the U.S. is “asking us to make sure that we monitor every shipment that comes to Malaysia when it involves Nvidia chips,” according to the report. “They want us to make sure that servers end up in the data centres that they're supposed to and not suddenly move to another ship." Aziz also said Malaysia recently formed a task force to tighten regulations around the country’s data center sector, which relies on Nvidia chips.
The Bureau of Industry and Security corrected a date error in the savings clause of a final rule this week that added 12 entities to its Entity List (see 2503250075). The savings clause says that all exports that now require a license as a result of the rule but were aboard a carrier to a port as of March 25 may proceed to their destinations under the previous eligibility as long as they are exported by April 24. Any items not exported before midnight April 24 will require a license.
The U.K. this year plans to update its export controls to align them with changes recently made by the multilateral Wassenaar Arrangement, Nuclear Suppliers Group and Australia Group. The updates include changes to the technical parameters for certain advanced artificial intelligence chip uses; revisions to the definitions for “spacecraft,” “satellite,” “space probe” and “space vehicle”; and more. The U.K. said it plans to make the changes this spring.
Senior Bureau of Industry and Security officials haven’t yet been given orders by the Trump administration on several key export control policy issues, including possible plans to soon relax export controls against Russia, multiple Commerce Department officials said last week.
It’s still unclear how the Trump administration will approach the Bureau of Industry and Security's artificial intelligence diffusion rule or any of the agency’s recently published proposed or interim final rules that haven’t yet taken effect, a Commerce Department official said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is reviewing public comments on two rules it proposed last year to expand U.S. persons controls, a Commerce Department official said March 18.
The congressionally mandated National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology is expected to include recommendations on export control policy in its upcoming report to Congress, a Commerce Department official said March 18.