Singapore authorities charged three men with fraud last week after linking them to alleged illegal exports of advanced chips made by American semiconductor firm Nvidia, Singapore-based broadcaster Channel News Asia reported Feb. 28. The three men allegedly “made false representations” last year that the Nvidia chips wouldn’t be transferred to someone other than the "authorised ultimate consignee of end users," the report said, which may have violated U.S. export controls. The charges came after Singapore trade official Tan See Leng told the country’s parliament on Feb. 18 that Singapore doesn’t “condone businesses deliberately using their association with the country to circumvent or violate export controls of other nations,” the report said.
Everspin Technologies, a semiconductor firm based in Arizona, disclosed to the Bureau of Industry and Security that it may have violated U.S. export controls.
The Bureau of Industry and Security for the past month has been led by a key Project 2025 contributor entrusted by the Trump administration with overseeing an export control policy review, an effort that resulted in a licensing pause and coincided with multiple senior career employees leaving the agency. BIS resumed processing and approving certain license applications around the same time the Trump official was removed from his position late last month, Export Compliance Daily has found.
Microsoft this week urged the Trump administration to rethink portions of a Biden-era rule that placed global export controls on certain shipments of advanced artificial intelligence chips, saying the rule will have unintended negative consequences on the American technology industry.
Jeffrey Kessler, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Bureau of Industry and Security (see 2502040059), said at his Senate nomination hearing Feb. 27 that he has reservations about the agency’s latest export controls on advanced artificial intelligence chips and wants to scrutinize them. He also testified that he plans to examine whether BIS needs more resources and a reorganization.
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The leaders of the House Select Committee on China said Feb. 25 that Congress should pass legislation restricting U.S. outbound investment in China despite a recent move by the Trump administration to address the issue.
Matt Borman, a longtime senior career official overseeing export control regulations at the Bureau of Industry and Security, is expected to leave BIS soon, according to two people familiar with the matter.
A new White House memo on President Donald Trump’s “America-first investment policy” previews efforts to expand both inbound and outbound foreign investment restrictions, tamp down on the use of mitigation agreements, fast-track investment deals from certain allies and more.
The Bureau of Industry and Security’s ongoing export control policy review is likely to result in an initial set of recommendations involving advanced technology exported to China, Akin Gump said last week.