WASHINGTON: Microsoft has been pressing the Trump administration to halt plans to bar Chinese imports of a key component used in AI data centers, three people familiar with the situation said.
Reuters reported in August that the Trump administration wants to ban US imports of new models of Chinese optical transceivers, which allow data to travel over fiber-optic cables at the speed of light within data centers. The concern is that they could be used by Beijing to steal data, install malware or disrupt service at US data centers.
Microsoft has 35 data centers under construction in the US and another 134 planned, according to Cleanview, a market intelligence company which tracks data center development. It is one of a group of companies and trade groups making the case to the Trump administration that such a ban could irreparably damage the US edge over China in the AI race by further slowing the data center rollout, the sources said.
