Flouting Joe Biden's rules? Google, Microsoft ‘sneakily’ offer Nvidia chips to China companies: Report

Google and Microsoft's cloud divisions offer Chinese firms access to Nvidia's AI chips outside China amid US restrictions on AI technology use.

Google and Microsoft's cloud divisions are offering Chinese companies access to Nvidia's AI chips, it was reported. The tech giants are providing data center services in locations outside China, the Information reported. This is being done as the Joe Biden administration has prevented China firms from using US technology for Artificial Intelligence (AI). This includes measures taken by the US to stop supply of advanced semiconductors as concerns over security continue to rise.

Google, Microsoft and Alphabet logos and AI Artificial Intelligence words are seen in this illustration.(Reuters)

Earlier this year US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said as per news agency Reuters that the Joe Biden administration has proposed requiring cloud companies to determine whether foreign entities are accessing data centers in the United States to train AI models.

The report also details that Microsoft is offering server rental services, including those with Nvidia's A100 and H100 chips, to Chinese customers through data centers outside China. For this, the report cited a Microsoft employee in the know and a person directly involved in the sales.

The report also claimed citing sources that Google lets customers in China use servers based outside of mainland China. The Sundar Pichai company is confident that its offerings comply with US export controls, the report added.