Sources: Chinese AI surveillance firms iFlytek and SenseTime are evading US sanctions to access high-end chips through cloud providers and other intermediaries
“While iFlytek cannot own the chips outright under US export controls, two employees said the rental system was a good, albeit more expensive, alternative. An engineer at iFlytek said the company “rents the chips and equipment on a long-term basis, which is effectively the same..…
Chinese AI groups use cloud services to evade US chip export controls https://www.ft.com/... “SenseTime, sanctioned at the same time as iFlytek, has used intermediaries to purchase banned components from the US, according to three senior employees familiar with the situation.”
Great reporting by @EleanorOlcott @QianerLiu @Dimi on how sanctioned PRC surveillance companies are accessing restricted US technology https://www.ft.com/... via @FT
Chinese AI groups are using cloud providers to get restricted tech, revealing potential loopholes in the US's blockade of cutting-edge chips https://www.ft.com/...
🇨🇳 companies are exploiting loopholes in US export controls: iFlytek has been renting access to Nvidia A100 chips; SenseTime has used intermediaries to buy banned components from the US; AI-Galaxy charges $10 for 1-hour access to its Nvidia A100 chips. https://www.ft.com/...
It's an open secret in China's AI world that high-end chips are still easy (but expensive) for blacklisted companies to get their hands on. @QianerLiu @Dimi and I dive into the multifaceted ways Chinese groups skirt Washington's export controls https://www.ft.com/...