US Politician Proposes Tracking of AI Chips

A US senator, Tom Cotton, introduced legislation requiring location verification mechanisms on export-controlled AI chips to keep them from falling into the hands of adversaries, including China. He introduced the Chip Security Act bill on 9 May, seeking to stop the illegal export or employment of US-made AI chips by using location-tracking systems.

The senator asked the US Commerce Department and the Department of Defence to study the potential use of chip security mechanisms to prevent them from being smuggled into countries restricted from using them. There is also a call for companies exporting chips to tell the US Bureau of Industry and Security if their products have been diverted away from their intended location or subject to tampering attempts.

“We must do better at maintaining and expanding our position in the global market, while safeguarding America’s technological edge. With these enhanced security measures, we can continue to expand access to US technology without compromising our national security,” Cotton stated on his webpage. The move came a day after the US President Donald Trump’s administration stated it would rescind and modify former US President Joe Biden’s rule, which further curbed the export of advanced AI chips.