The Biden administration introduced new limits on exporting semiconductor technology to China in an attempt to block the country's technology advancements and military modernization.

The set of export controls released by the Commerce Department will effectively isolate China from semiconductor chips made in any location using U.S. tools. This will delay Chinese military programs that use supercomputing to model nuclear explosions, direct hypersonic weapons, and build networks to surveil dissidents and minorities, for example.

“Our actions will protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests while also sending a clear message that U.S. technological leadership is about values as well as innovation,” said Thea Rozman Kendler, the assistant secretary of commerce for export administration.

The new controls build upon letters of restriction previously sent to toolmakers Applied Materials, Lam Research Corp, and KLA Corp asking them to stop shipping equipment to factories producing advanced silicon. The new regulations also formalized letters sent to AMD and Nvidia restricting shipments of supercomputing ships used in nuclear weapons and military technologies to China.

Senior government officials told a group of reporters these rules seek to prevent foreign firms from selling advanced chips to China or providing Chinese firms with tools to build their own silicon. The officials noted allied nations have yet to promise to enact similar restrictions, but added those conversations are ongoing.

“We recognize that the unilateral controls we’re putting into place will lose effectiveness over time if other countries don’t join us,” an official said. “We risk harming U.S. technology leadership if foreign competitors are not subject to similar controls.”