U.S. Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and John Moolenaar (R-MI) on May 15 introduced a bipartisan bill that would require advanced chip manufacturers to implement technical security measures to detect and prevent smuggling to unauthorized countries and end-users.
Rep. Huizenga sponsored the Chip Security Act, H.R. 3447, alongside seven original cosponsors, including Rep. Moolenaar and U.S Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Bill Foster (D-IL), to require the U.S. Commerce Secretary to issue standards with respect to chip security mechanisms for integrated circuit products.
“American innovation and AI computing technology has the potential to change everything from how we complete daily tasks to unlocking the next era of scientific breakthroughs,” Rep. Huizenga said. “In order for the United States to maintain our technological advantage, we must employ safeguards to help ensure these advanced AI chips are not being shipped to bad actors who would use them for nefarious purposes.”
Rep. Moolenaar added that the Chinese Communist Party has exploited weaknesses in the U.S. export control enforcement system, using shell companies and smuggling networks to divert sensitive U.S. technology, fuel the PLA’s military advancement, and extend its surveillance capabilities to further its repression.
“That puts our national security and our leadership in artificial intelligence at risk,” he said. “This bipartisan bill closes those gaps with real safeguards to keep our most advanced chips out of the wrong hands.”
If enacted, H.R. 3447 would require that high-end AI chips have the ability to identify their location before they are exported; companies exporting these products report any credible information about the diversion of the product, including if the location has changed; the Secretary of Commerce assesses second-level security mechanisms to prevent misuse or diversion of these chips; and the secretary uses enforcement capabilities to verify that the exported chips have not been diverted, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
Companion legislation has been introduced by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).