US Official Voices Concerns Over China's Tech Advancements Amidst Export Control Challenges

A White House tech official, in a recent interview, reiterated the US stance on maintaining pressure on China regarding technology. The official also stated that China is becoming increasingly skilled at bypassing US export controls. It was suggested that China is now likely less than two years behind the US in semiconductor design capabilities. This rhetoric highlights a conflicting approach by US officials, who aim to limit China's AI development despite the country's rapid advancements.

David Sacks, the White House's top official on cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence policy, expressed concern over the rapid progress of Huawei Technologies Co. He noted that the company is quickly closing the technological gap with its international competitors. Sacks also pointed to a recent breakthrough by Chinese AI firm DeepSeek as evidence of China's continued progress despite US restrictions. He stated that before DeepSeek, it was believed that Chinese AI models were years behind, but now they are only months behind.

In a separate interview, Huawei's CEO stated that the US has exaggerated the company's achievements. He also highlighted the company's strategies to overcome limitations, including using mathematics to compensate for physics, non-Moore's Law approaches, and group computing.

Sacks also criticized the Biden administration's proposed "AI diffusion rule," advocating for a more nuanced approach to chip export controls. He claimed that US allies are willing to comply with security requirements while partnering with American technology companies. He believes that a new globalized regime on every single GPU transaction is not necessary to achieve the objective.

Earlier, Sacks claimed that China is only "months" behind the US in AI, vowing to ensure that the US will not lose in the race. He described it as a very close race.

These claims reflect a contradictory approach by US officials, who seek to curb China's AI development, even as these efforts fail to slow China's rapid progress, according to a telecom industry analyst. The analyst stated that the US is trying to exert extreme pressure through technology controls that could trigger backlash, as China's chip industry and AI technologies have continued to upgrade and innovate in the face of heavy US restrictions. The analyst warned that Sacks' remarks are not aimed at easing AI-related restrictions on China. Instead, they reflect a policy approach that differs from the Biden administration's.

The expert noted that the US fears not only losing ground in the global market, but also the potential blowback from its own restrictive policies. It is a reluctant choice driven by anxiety over China's accelerating technological rise.