US to scrap restrictions on advanced chips exports to Poland
The US Department of Commerce announced on Tuesday it was going to lift restrictions on exports of AI-powering chips to Poland and other countries, imposed by the previous administration.
The Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce said in a statement on Tuesday that the regulations imposed by Joe Biden's administration during the final days of its term of office "would have undermined US diplomatic relations with dozens of countries by downgrading them to second-tier status."
"These new requirements would have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements," the statement read.
Jeffrey Kessler, undersecretary of commerce for industry and security said in the statement: "The (Donald - PAP) Trump Administration will pursue a bold, inclusive strategy to American AI technology with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries. At the same time, we reject the Biden Administration's attempt to impose its own ill-conceived and counterproductive AI policies on the American people."
The Polish embassy in Washington, in a post on the X platform on Tuesday night, thanked the Trump administration "for rescinding the 'AI Diffusion Rule.'"
"Poland is a trusted ally of the United States, and we look forward to deepening our partnership to harness the power of AI innovation – together, making our nations and the transatlantic alliance stronger," the embassy added.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski expressed satisfaction with the decision and said he had previously discussed the issue with US officials.
"I've discussed it with (US State - PAP) Secretary (Marco - PAP) Rubio and I'm glad he has taken our arguments into account," Sikorski said in an interview with the Onet news and entertainment website on Wednesday. "I believe that from the very beginning it was a storm in a teacup."
He said that even with Biden's restrictions in place, the chip quota assigned to Poland for a two year period "was five times more than we need."
"But we were annoyed there were some categories and groups. Now it's been changed, it's very good," he concluded.
Only 18 "key allies", a group that did not include Poland, were exempt from Biden's restrictions, which triggered protests from the European Union, chip sector lobbies, and Nvidia, the leading graphics chip manufacturer.
Since January, Poland has been making diplomatic efforts to change the Biden administration's decision. (PAP)
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