00:00All exports, transshipments, and transits of high-performance artificial intelligence
00:05chips made in the U.S. will now require a strategic trade permit, the Investment Trade
00:09and Industry Ministry announced today.
00:12The rule takes immediate effect and applies even if the chips are not officially listed
00:16as restricted items under the catch-all control provision of the Strategic Trade Act 2010.
00:22Individuals or companies must notify the authorities at least 30 days in advance if they plan to
00:27handle U.S. origin AI chips.
00:29In a statement, the ministry said the initiative serves to close regulatory gaps while Malaysia
00:34undertakes a further review of the inclusion of high-performance AI chips of U.S. origin
00:39on the Strategic Items list of the STA 2010.
00:43Mithi also reiterated that Malaysia would not allow the country to be used for illicit trading
00:48operations following reports that the U.S. Commerce Department plans to stop China from getting
00:53NVIDIA's advanced AI chips by blocking shipments to third countries.
00:58Washington's concern over AI chips smuggling into China grew in January, prompting investigations
01:03into whether countries like Singapore were used as transit points.
01:07Attention turned to Malaysia after Singapore's Home Affairs and Law Minister Kei Shanmugam said
01:12servers with NVIDIA chips exported to Malaysia could have been meant for a different final destination.
01:17However, Investment Minister Tengku Zaful Aziz said local investigations found no evidence
01:22that they had arrived at the Malaysian data centre to which they were purportedly sold.
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