[andrewdb]

Not just chip exports. It also limits model weights.

From the article:

In addition to the semiconductor controls, the new rules also limit the export of closed AI model weights, which are the numerical parameters that software uses to process data and make predictions or decisions.

Companies would be prohibited from hosting powerful closed model weights in Tier 3 countries, like China and Russia, and would have to abide by security standards to host those weights in Tier 2 countries. That means the controls on model weights don’t apply to companies that obtain universal VEU status, one of the people said.

Open weight models — which allow the public to access underlying code — aren’t affected by the rules, nor are closed models that are less powerful than an already-available open model. But if an AI company wants to fine-tune a general-purpose open weight model for a specific purpose, and that process uses a significant amount of computing power, they would need to apply for a US government license to do so in a Tier 2 country.