Tech war: new US sanctions against 31 Chinese entities put supercomputing under the spotlight
- Shanghai Supercomputing Technology Co, tied to a municipal-level supercomputing centre, has been placed on the US Entity List
- The Shanghai Supercomputer Centre forms an integral part of China’s push to achieve computing self-sufficiency, according to analysts
Washington’s latest addition of 31 Chinese companies, including a key supercomputing facility in Shanghai, to its export blacklist has thrust the next-generation computing technology into the centre of Sino-US rivalry.
On Monday, the Biden administration restricted exports to Shanghai Supercomputing Technology Co – an enterprise jointly backed by the Shanghai Supercomputer Centre (SSC) and Chinese supercomputer maker Dawning Information Industry – accusing it of “acquiring and attempting to acquire” US-origin items to support China’s military modernisation.
“This entity has supported the operation of supercomputers located in the [People’s Republic of China], specifically by offering cloud-based supercomputing capabilities to support hypersonics research,” the Bureau of Industry and Security under the US Department of Commerce said in a statement.
The Chinese company’s activities were “contrary to US national security and foreign policy interests”, the agency said.
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Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Tuesday characterised the US move as “hysteria” and a weaponisation of economic and trade issues, adding that Beijing will “take necessary measures” to protect the country’s interests.