Earlier in the month, we saw reports of the US considering restricting exports of AI chips to Malaysia and Thailand. Now, it looks like the Malaysian government is taking its own action along similar lines. The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) has announced that exports and transits of high-performance AI chips of US origin are subject to a Strategic Trade Permit.
This means that anyone looking to export or bring in transit such goods but knows or suspects that they will be “misused, or used for a restricted activity” must inform the relevant authorities within 30 days. As per the announcement, the move falls under the Strategic Trade Act 2010 (STA 2010), which is described as a Catch-All Control provision.
The initiative is meant “to close regulatory gaps while Malaysia undertakes further review” on US-made AI chips being included in its Strategic Items List. “Malaysia stands firm against any attempt to circumvent export controls or engage in illicit trade activities”, according to the statement.
This follows a turbulant set of recent developments which saw exports of AI chips from US to Malaysia get banned, then unbanned again. Though this recent development doesn’t quite change things as much, though it may affect the decisions that the former makes moving forward.
(Source: MITI [PDF])
