Caixin Explains: How New U.S. AI Export Controls Will Work

Biden administration’s sweeping AI chip restrictions place stringent limitations on China

Jensen Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., speaks during the 2025 CES event in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. Photo: Bloomberg

The United States has introduced sweeping global export restrictions targeting advanced artificial intelligence (AI) computational power. These rules require licenses for all exports of high-performance GPUs and AI model weights, regardless of destination, with varying restrictions by country to address national security concerns. Countries such as China face particularly stringent limitations.

The measures outlined in a 168-page report released Monday by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), come into effect immediately with a 120-day grace period.