Trump Administration Drafting Ban On Chinese Data Center Devices

The Federal Communications Commission is drafting a measure to ban imports of new Chinese optical transceivers, which are used in data centers to train and run AI models, according to a Reuters report. The ban, expected to be published this year, aims to prevent Chinese firms from stealing data or disrupting U.S. data centers, and could impact Chinese supplier Zhongji Innolight while raising costs for American cloud firms like Amazon Web Services.

Longtime Slashdot reader schwit1 shares a report from Reuters: The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees the U.S. telecom industry, is working on the measure to bar imports of new Chinese optical transceivers, which allow data to travel over fiber-optic cables at the speed of light within data centers. Officials hope to publish it this year, when it would take effect. The move, not previously reported, aims to prevent Chinese firms from stealing data, installing malware or disrupting service at U.S. data centers, which house the chips to train and run AI models. The FCC could still modify or shelve the restriction, the sources stressed, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. ... A U.S. ban on new models of Chinese data center devices would likely hit China's Zhongji Innolight, one of the biggest global sellers of transceivers, which was added to the Pentagon's list of alleged Chinese military-backed companies in June. The list can be a harbinger of tougher action. A ban could also raise costs for American cloud firms such as Amazon Web Services, as it may force them to transition to other producers such as U.S.-based Coherent and Lumentum. Read more of this story https://yro.slashdot.org/story/26/08/04/1729250/trump-administration-drafting-ban-on-chinese-data-center-devices?utm source=rss1.0moreanon&utm medium=feed at Slashdot.