By Karen Freifeld
(Reuters) -Seven Republican senators sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Friday, urging the administration to withdraw a last-minute Biden administration rule that would control global access to AI chips, warning the restrictions would damage U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters.
The letter calls for “immediate action” on the AI Diffusion rule, issued on Jan. 13 and which takes effect on May 15.
“Every day this rule remains in place, American companies face mounting uncertainty, stalled investments, and the risk of losing critical global partnerships that cannot be easily regained,” according to the letter, which seen by Reuters on Monday.
“We urge you to withdraw this rule and propose an alternative that is effective in preventing Communist China from capturing the world market in leading technology without compromising American advantages.”
The letter says the structure of the rule, which splits countries into three tiers, notes that only 18 nations are in a grouping with easiest access to American technology, and only if they comply with burdensome regulations. They also note that partners and allies like Israel are excluded from that tier.
The letter was signed by senators Pete Ricketts, Thom Tillis, Markwayne Mullin, Ted Budd, Roger Wicker, Eric Schmitt and Tommy Tuberville.
The U.S. Commerce department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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