Today the White House announced the enactment broad restrictions in the sale of semiconductors (chips) and semiconductor manufacturing equipment in China.

New restrictions on the sale of semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment are aimed at slowing down Chinese military programs in which Beijing uses supercomputers.

The rivalry between the United States and China is now increasingly moving into the field of technology, the New York Times notes.

The package of restrictions released today by the US Department of Commerce is meant to slow down China’s military programs that use supercomputers to simulate nuclear tests, develop hypersonic weapon guidance technologies, build advanced surveillance networks, develop artificial intelligence applications, and more.

US companies will no longer be allowed to supply advanced chips to China unless they have a special permit. Certain deliveries to facilities operating within China’s borders from US or allied companies will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Under the new rules, U.S. companies are also prohibited from selling equipment used to make semiconductors to China without a special permit.

At the same time, it is worth noting that there are restrictions on semiconductors that non-US companies can sell in China if these non-US companies use US-made software and/or hardware to manufacture these chips.

“Our actions will protect US national security and foreign policy interests, and send a clear message that US technology leadership is about value as much as innovation,” said Thea D. Roseman Kendler, a senior US Department of Commerce official.

According to the New York Times