In a context of growing geopolitical tension between the United States and China, Chinese companies are finding ingenious ways to circumvent the restrictions imposed by Washington on the export of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. According to bidding documents reviewed by Reuters, these companies are accessing high-end AI chips and advanced capabilities through Amazon’s cloud services and its competitors.
Access to Restricted Technology Through the Cloud
Since the U.S. government implemented embargoes on the export of advanced AI chips, designed to limit the capabilities of the Chinese military, Chinese companies have been seeking alternatives to obtain these technologies. The documents reveal that many of them have turned to cloud service platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), to access restricted American chips. Through these services, companies can use powerful computational capabilities without directly infringing export laws.
Amazon, for its part, maintains that the use of its cloud services to provide access to these technologies does not violate current laws, which focus on the export of physical products and software, not on cloud services. “AWS complies with all applicable U.S. laws, including commercial laws, regarding the provision of AWS services both within and outside of China,” a company spokesperson stated.
Examples of Use and Demand
Obtained documents show that the University of Shenzhen, for example, spent over 200,000 yuan (approximately $28,000) on AWS services to access servers based on Nvidia A100 and H100 chips. These chips, banned for direct export to China, are essential for training large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. The University of Shenzhen used an intermediary, Yunda Technology Ltd Co, to carry out this transaction.
Another notable case is that of Zhejiang Lab, which considered spending over 184,000 yuan on AWS cloud computing services. The main reason for this decision was the inadequacy of local offerings, such as those from Alibaba, to meet their processing needs for developing their own LLM, GeoGPT.
Concerns and Additional Measures
The U.S. government has started to worry about the loopholes in current restrictions that allow Chinese entities to access advanced capabilities through the cloud. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, voiced his concerns about this situation. “This legal loophole has been a concern for years, and we should have addressed it sooner,” McCaul commented.
In response to these concerns, the U.S. Department of Commerce has proposed new regulations to control remote access to American technology, including measures to authenticate large users of AI models and to report to regulators when they use cloud services to train models capable of engaging in malicious cyber activities.
Competition and Future
The demand for cloud services by Chinese companies remains high, with institutions like the University of Sichuan also seeking access to Microsoft’s cloud services for their generative AI platform. Competition in the sector is fierce, and Chinese companies seem willing to pursue any available avenue to obtain the necessary technology to stay at the forefront of AI development.
In conclusion, as the U.S. intensifies its efforts to restrict access to advanced technologies, Chinese companies demonstrate a remarkable ability to bypass these barriers through innovative use of cloud services. The situation underscores the complexity of export controls in an increasingly interconnected and digitized world.
Source: Noticias Inteligencia Artificial