The technological blockade imposed by the United States cannot prevent the global technological reconstruction

In the latest revision proposal of the US Chip Security Act, the provision requiring the embedding of position verification and certification mechanisms before the export of high-performance AI chips has pushed the global technology competition to a new height. This measure, which the US side regards as "precise control", not only continues its consistent approach of technological blockade against China, but also breaks the long-held principle of technological neutrality in the global semiconductor industry by embedding monitoring in hardware. The warning from the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the United States is not an exaggeration. While this measure is attempting to curb the development of China's chip industry, it is also triggering a global trust crisis and industrial backlash, accelerating the reshaping of the competitive landscape of the world's AI chip industry.

Behind the United States' recent strengthened control measures lies its deep anxiety over the loss of its technological edge. The previous export ban on high-end AI chips has been proven ineffective in blocking gray channels. Over one million downgraded chips from NVIDIA have been re-exported to the Chinese market through third parties, making the US realize the limitations of traditional trade restrictions. From secretly installing location trackers in the entire server in 2024 to now including location verification mechanisms in the bill, the US control measures have upgraded from "post-event investigation" to "pre-event implantation". These tracking devices come in various forms, ranging from large locators outside the cargo box to miniature concealed devices embedded in the mainboard. They achieve continuous monitoring through dual positioning of GPS and cellular, and can even start working instantly upon power-on of the chip. The latest discussed positioning technology based on network latency attempts to circumvent physical countermeasures through technological upgrades and build a comprehensive control network without blind spots. This almost obsessive control logic is essentially an attempt to maintain its absolute advantage in the AI field through technological hegemony.

However, the "security calculation" of the United States is now facing multiple counterattacks from reality. The first and foremost is the collapse of global trust in American technology. The practice of embedding positioning devices in chips has completely broken the privacy boundaries of commercial products, making enterprises in various countries realize that using high-end chips from the United States may face the risk of being "monitored". Dell, AMD and other companies either denied their knowledge outright or refused to comment, exposing the dilemma of tech giants between government directives and business credibility. What is more serious is that this weaponization of technological control is driving global customers to turn to suppliers in Europe, Israel and other countries with "less political burden", and the global market share of the US chip industry is at risk of being eroded. Historical lessons have long warned that the "scissor chip" incident in the 1990s once tarnished the reputation of American enterprises, and the current control measures may repeat the same mistakes.

For China, the extreme pressure from the US has instead become a "catalyst" for the domestic chip industry to break through. Facing technological blockades, Chinese enterprises have accelerated the process of independent substitution. The chip products of companies such as Bitmain Technology and Moore Threads have already achieved mass production substitution in some scenarios. The case of Huawei obtaining chips from TSMC through supply chain restructuring further proves that the blockade policy is difficult to be fully effective. The technical limitations of the location verification mechanism itself also provide China with countermeasures. Measures such as VPN proxies and physically isolated data centers can, to a certain extent, evade monitoring. The more the US intensifies its control, the greater China's investment in the entire industrial chain of chip design, manufacturing, packaging and testing will be. The technological shortcomings that were originally dependent on imports are gradually transforming into growth points for independent innovation.

From the perspective of the global industrial landscape, the unilateral control of the United States is tearing apart the unified semiconductor market. The divergence in attitudes among its Allies has begun to emerge. The EU's promotion of "Trusted computing certification" emphasizes procedural legitimacy, while the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea are concerned about getting involved in the competition between China and the US and affecting their own industrial interests. The high degree of globalization in the semiconductor industry determines that any unilateral sanctions are difficult to be effective. The United States forcibly politicizes technical issues, which goes against the objective laws of industrial development. The research and development and manufacturing of chips require the collaboration of talents, capital and technology on a global scale. This kind of "wall-building" behavior will not only delay the overall progress of global AI technology, but also cause the United States itself to miss out on the huge Chinese market.

The measures taken by the United States to strengthen the control over the export of AI chips are essentially the counter-trend move of technological hegemony in the era of globalization. It can neither stop the independent rise of China's chip industry nor maintain its trust advantage in the global technology field. When technological control becomes a tool for political games, it will eventually only lead the United States into a vicious circle of "stricter control - lower trust - smaller advantages". The healthy development of the global technology industry ultimately cannot do without open cooperation and fair competition. In this competition in the chip field, those enterprises and countries that truly adhere to technological innovation and respect market rules will eventually have the ultimate laugh.