The US Department of Commerce could ban Amazon, Microsoft and Google from selling AI-related cloud computing services to Chinese companies, a new report said. The Commerce Department is preparing to bar US firms from providing cloud services that use advanced AI processors to Chinese customers, according to a report published this week by the Wall Street Journal. The Biden administration has already banned the export of advanced chips used in the development and training of AI from export to China, as part of the ongoing trade war between the two countries. In response, China’s government earlier this week banned two rare metals — gallium and germanium — which are used in the manufacture of important semiconductors. According to the Journal, the potential cloud computing restrictions are viewed by national security experts as the closure of a loophole that would have let Chinese companies obviate export restrictions on the chips themselves by paying for access to them via cloud services. Such a move by the Commerce Department would put some of the biggest technology companies in the world – namely Google, Microsoft and Amazon — squarely in the middle of the international trade dispute. A separate rules update, the Journal noted, will see the US unify its list of controlled silicon manufacturing equipment with Japan and the Netherlands, two of the increasing number of nations joining the US in restricting the sale of advanced technology as well as the import of Chinese equipment. The Department of Commerce did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Similar requests sent to Microsoft, Google, and Amazon — the largest three public cloud providers in the US — also went unanswered. The dispute began during the previous US presidential administration, with a ban on the use of networking hardware from several Chinese companies (most notably Huawei and ZTE) in government networks. Since 2015, however, the scope of the trade war has expanded substantially, with the US imposing increasingly severe measures. Proponents say that these measures are necessary to prevent technology theft and preserve the security of critical infrastructure from potential cyberattacks, as well as to preserve a technological edge. China, for its part, views these policies as protectionism and an unfair restraint on trade and development, though it has also begun to take similar measures in response. Beyond its recent ban on rare metal exports, the country has also banned products made by US memory chip manufacturer Micron from use in its networking infrastructure. Related content how-to A new Windows 11 backup and recovery paradigm? If used properly, new features built into Windows 11 offer safe, nearly complete backup, restore, repair, and recovery operations without third-party tools — but there are some caveats worth knowing. By Ed Tittel Apr 29, 2024 17 mins Windows 11 Backup and Recovery Windows feature Q&A: Georgia Tech dean details why the school needed a new AI supercomputer Georgia Tech partnered with Nvidia to roll out its first supercomputer so students can experiment with AI and machine learning to better prepare for a job market where those skills are now critical to success. By Lucas Mearian Apr 29, 2024 12 mins CPUs and Processors Education Industry Generative AI feature Windows 11 Insider Previews: What’s in the latest build? Get the latest info on new preview builds of Windows 11 as they roll out to Windows Insiders. Now updated for Build 22635.3566 for the Beta Channel, released on April 26, 2024. By Preston Gralla Apr 26, 2024 251 mins Small and Medium Business Microsoft Windows 11 news Dropbox adds end-to-end encryption for team folders Dropbox this week unveiled a range of features, including security updates and key management, and the ability to co-edit Microsoft 365 documents from within the file-sharing app. By Matthew Finnegan Apr 26, 2024 3 mins Cloud Storage Collaboration Software Productivity Software Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe