Federal Council advocates for permanent access to AI chips in the USA

(CONNECT) On May 14, the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) issued a statement outlining its position on the planned US export controls on high-performance chips suitable for AI applications. According to a press release issued by the EAER, it emphasized the importance of Switzerland as an economic partner and investor in the USA, as well as the close collaboration between the two countries on export controls up to now.

The statement is addressed to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the US Department of Commerce, which only the previous day had rescinded the more stringent regulations imposed in January by the previous administration under President Biden, which would have taken effect on May 15.

The Biden regulation listed just 18 countries to which AI chips could be exported without any restrictions. These included major European economies such as Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Spain, in addition to the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden. Moreover, a handful of non-European countries such as Australia, Japan, Canada, South Korea and Taiwan were also included on the list. Switzerland was named in the second group to which slight restrictions would apply.

The US Department of Commerce is now working on a replacement regulation, which will reportedly no longer divide countries into fixed groups. “The 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”, explains Under Secretary Jeffery Kessler in the BIS press release.

The EAER will monitor the development of new regulations and analyze the consequences for Switzerland ce/stk