US President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed an executive order to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States. A day earlier, the administration announced sweeping measures to prevent China and other adversaries from accessing cutting-edge semiconductors.
However, the US has removed India, its strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific, from a list of 18 countries that will be given unrestricted access to advanced AI chips. Analysts say that stronger technology ties between the two countries will likely make India eligible for access to advanced U.S. AI chips in the future, but that New Delhi will continue to rely on existing ties with Moscow and It said it was removed from the top list due to the perception that the regulatory framework was not as robust. .
Exclusion is not surprising
The Department of Commerce’s policy framework divides the world into three categories. The first phase includes the United States and 18 other countries with unrestricted access, followed by a list of more than 100 countries that will receive new caps on advanced semiconductors with individual exemptions. The third tier includes adversary countries such as China and Russia, which face maximum restrictions.
India falls into the second category, along with US allies like Israel and close friends like Singapore.
Bhaskar Chakravorty, dean of international business at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Massachusetts, said relations between India and Russia are “outside the ultra-safe category.”
India has had close ties with Russia since the Soviet Union supported India’s desire for independence from Britain. These ties continued during the Cold War, when the United States sided with India’s rival Pakistan.
Scott Jones, a non-resident fellow at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington, highlighted recent reports accusing several Indian companies of supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, saying the exclusion was disappointing. “This is not a setback for India,” he said.
He also noted the recognition that “India’s ability to control and manage technology is perhaps not as strong as it has demonstrated in some of the 18 countries.”
India may be removed from the unrestricted list for now, but analysts say expanded technology cooperation with the United States could protect it from any restrictions.
Richard Rossow, senior adviser and chair of India and emerging Asian economies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the presence of caveats in the new framework would ensure India’s subsequent participation.
“Given the fact that some countries have announced that there are avenues for exemptions that are above and beyond considering the upper limit of the criteria, India will be on the shortlist of candidate countries,” he said. V.O.A.
In early January, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan visited India and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials. During the visit, both sides reiterated their commitment to build a “strategic technology partnership” and strengthen cooperation under the U.S.-India Initiative on Critical Emerging Technologies (iCET), a bilateral mechanism focused on technology partnerships. .
Regarding semiconductors, the US is promoting investment in semiconductor manufacturing in India and increasing research and development cooperation.
During his visit, Sullivan highlighted that U.S. chipmaker Micron is investing $2.7 billion in India to build a semiconductor packaging facility, adding that it will be seen as a “new hub in the global chip ecosystem.” He expressed his hope that he would contribute to the establishment of “India.”
The Indian government is also investing billions of dollars through a dedicated program called the India Semiconductor Mission and the Production-Linked Incentive Scheme.
Rosseau claimed that the Indian government would not have been “very surprised” that the list “didn’t include them”.
Jones of the Stimson Center agreed.
“Jake Sullivan was in New Delhi last week and I would be very surprised if he didn’t inform Indian officials of what was going to happen,” he said.
Securing American Leadership in AI
The Biden administration has focused on the centrality of artificial intelligence to America’s national security and economic strength. The move is part of efforts to prevent this critical technology from leaving other countries and ensure that “the world’s AI runs on American rails,” according to a White House fact sheet.
Since October 2022, the US government has implemented a series of export controls, cutting off access to China to prevent military use of advanced semiconductors. Although this measure initially had a negative impact on China’s semiconductor industry, the Chinese government continues to improve its capabilities and seeks to narrow the technology gap.
The Fletcher School’s Chakravorty said there are many implementation challenges to this broad global strategy.
“From lobbying efforts from U.S. chipmakers beginning with Trump’s inauguration to possible leaks in the carefully calibrated list of countries. Will a secondary market exist? “What impact will it have?” he asked.
Jones, of the Stimson Center, argued that the policy is “more of a symbolic gesture than a practical consideration” but that it carries a harsh message to the rest of the world.
“The US has clearly said that if you want to participate in the US-sponsored AI ecosystem, you have to choose now. You choose China or you choose us. You can’t have it both ways. “You can’t play one-sided games against the other, you have to choose,” he concluded.
