The United States is getting ready to restrict Chinese companies’ access to U.S. cloud-computing services.
If adopted, the new rules would require U.S. cloud-service providers such as Amazon and Microsoft to seek government permission before they could provide Chinese customers cloud-computing services that use advanced artificial-intelligence chips.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is expected to implement the restriction in coming weeks as part of an expansion of its semiconductor export control policy introduced last October.
The Commerce Department, Microsoft and Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours.
The Commerce Department said that the new rules are a response to China’s decision to require exporters to seek permission to ship some gallium and germanium products to the United States.