The United States has decided to tighten export controls on advanced semiconductor and gas turbine technologies it considers critical to national security, Reuters reported on Friday from the US Commerce Department.

Gallium oxide and diamond are among the technologies targeted by the measure, as “devices using these materials have significantly increased military capabilities,” the Commerce Department said in a statement.

Gas turbines were developed primarily as aircraft engines, but have found applications in many other industries, one of the most modern being combined cycle gas-fired power plants.

Due to their excellent power-to-weight ratio, gas turbines have also been used to propel high-speed ships.

Examples of such ships were the MGB 2009 stars and Type 81 frigates in England, the Spica class 6 stars torpedo boat in Sweden equipped with Proteus 1282 turbines manufactured by Bristol Siddeley, and the Turunmaa type corvettes equipped with Rolls-Royce Olympus in Finland. TMB3 turbines, in Canada – Canadian helicopter carriers of the Iroquois type, and in the USA – US Coast Guard Hamilton-type boats.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a bill providing $52 billion in subsidies to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the United States, AFP reports.

The Democrat said investing in these parts, which are at the heart of modern electronics, will help his country win in the “economic competition of the 21st century.”

The bill, passed by Congress in late July, also provides tens of billions of dollars for research and development.

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