U.S. "All over the world to regulate exports of AI semiconductors"...Except for allies such as Korea.

[Anchor]
Just days before leaving office, U.S. President Joe Biden is planning further restrictions on exports of U.S.-made artificial intelligence semiconductors, including Nvidia.

It is a method of exporting without restrictions to allies, including Korea, but limiting the amount that the rest of the country can purchase, which is interpreted as a measure to keep cutting-edge technology out of the hands of China and Russia.

Reporter Yoon Hyun-sook reports.

[Reporter]
The Biden administration is reportedly considering further restricting exports of U.S. semiconductors needed to develop artificial intelligence.

Bloomberg reported that the Biden administration is planning to restrict exports of AI semiconductors by dividing the countries into three grades: a handful of key allies, adversaries and other regions.

Eighteen U.S. allies, including South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, will be able to purchase U.S. semiconductors without restrictions.

On the other hand, hostile countries such as China, Russia, and North Korea are virtually blocked from importing U.S. semiconductors.

Most other countries are expected to have purchase caps.

At a time when demand for AI semiconductors has soared, the expansion of export regulations in most parts of the world is expected to further strengthen U.S.-led control of AI technology.

Bloomberg predicted that the export restrictions would be announced as early as the weekend.

The Biden administration has been controlling the semiconductors exported to China and Russia by U.S. semiconductor companies such as Nvidia and AMD through regulations.

"Regulations restricting exports to much of the world will be a significant policy shift that threatens economic growth and U.S. leadership," Nvidia said in a statement to Bloomberg.

The American Semiconductor Industry Association, which is also a member of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, also expressed concern that the Biden administration has created regulations that could weaken the competitiveness of the U.S. semiconductor industry without collecting industry opinions.

I'm YTN's Yoon Hyunsuk.

Video editing: Han Kyung-hee
Design: Baek Seungmin