The US wants to integrate geo-tracking into gaming and AI processors

The US has proposed a law that would require manufacturers of high-performance processors for AI and games to integrate a geo-tracking system. This is necessary to prevent the chips from ending up in the hands of “unauthorized” countries, primarily China. The initiator was Senator Tom Cotton, who said that advanced technologies should not end up in the hands of “enemies like communist China.”

The bill affects not only AI chips, but also powerful graphics cards, including the GeForce RTX 4090 and future models. The restrictions apply to products with ECCN codes 3A090, 4A090, and others — that is, AI servers, supercomputers, and even some commercial electronic devices. Manufacturers will be given six months to implement the tracking system, which will make life difficult for companies like Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, who will have to modify their existing products.

The chips would have to transmit location data so the U.S. government could verify that they were being used in approved countries. The Commerce Department and the Pentagon would also be tasked with conducting a yearlong study to improve the security of such technologies, and then assessing new risks annually. If vulnerabilities are found, chipmakers could be ordered to add additional security measures.

At the same time, the law takes into account the interests of business: developers are obliged to protect commercial secrets, and new requirements will be introduced gradually so as not to disrupt production cycles. However, the process promises to be complex - for example, full implementation of all measures may take years, and the rules will be regularly revised. Ultimately, this may seriously affect global supplies of high-tech products.