TL;DR
The US House passed the Remote Access Security Act 369–22 to bring certain remote access to export‑controlled chips — including high‑end GPUs and AI accelerators — under US export rules. The measure targets a gap that let China‑based firms use foreign‑hosted cloud hardware to run advanced chips without importing them directly.
What happened
On Monday the House of Representatives approved the Remote Access Security Act in a 369–22 bipartisan vote. The bill would extend the scope of the US Export Control Reform Act to classify some forms of remote access to export‑controlled items — notably high‑end GPUs and other AI chips — as subject to US export controls. Lawmakers argued the change closes a loophole that allowed companies in China to obtain effective use of advanced US chips via cloud platforms rather than physical import. Previous reporting cited in the debate indicates China‑based customers have rented compute on hardware hosted outside China through services such as Amazon Web Services since at least 2023, and that domestic Chinese cloud providers including Alibaba and Tencent may offer access by renting externally hosted hardware. Microsoft and AWS are said to operate in China through local partners that provide similar cloud services. The bill now faces an uncertain path in the Senate and requires the president’s signature to become law.
Why it matters
- It seeks to apply US export controls to cloud compute, not just physical chip shipments, closing a digital‑access loophole.
- Could limit channels Chinese firms use today to run advanced AI workloads on US‑designed chips without importing them.
- Reframes how providers and customers must comply with export rules, with potential impacts for cloud operators and international deployments.
- Reflects bipartisan national‑security concern about preventing adversaries from bypassing hardware export restrictions.
Key facts
- Bill name: Remote Access Security Act.
- House vote: 369 in favor, 22 opposed.
- Proposal extends the Export Control Reform Act to certain forms of remote access to export‑controlled items.
- Targets high‑end GPUs and other AI chips identified as export‑controlled.
- Reporting cited in the discussion says China‑based customers have used cloud platforms since at least 2023 to access restricted hardware.
- Chinese cloud providers Alibaba and Tencent have been mentioned as potentially enabling access by leasing externally hosted hardware.
- Microsoft and AWS are reported to operate in China via local partners that provide broadly similar cloud services.
- Passage in the House does not guarantee enactment; Senate consideration and presidential approval remain pending.
- Since April 2025, the US government has allowed Nvidia to sell H200 chips in China, though Beijing has not yet formally approved those imports.
What to watch next
- Whether the Senate will take up and pass the Remote Access Security Act — not confirmed in the source.
- Whether the White House will sign the bill into law if it reaches the president — not confirmed in the source.
- How export‑control enforcement will define and monitor covered forms of remote access, including compliance steps for cloud providers — not confirmed in the source.
- Whether Beijing grants formal approval for Nvidia H200 imports to China; the source says China has not yet approved but is believed likely to do so soon.
Quick glossary
- Export Control Reform Act (ECRA): US legislation governing export controls on certain technologies and goods for national security and foreign policy reasons.
- GPU (graphics processing unit): A processor optimized for parallel computation, commonly used in graphics rendering and increasingly in machine learning and AI workloads.
- Cloud compute: Remote processing power and services delivered over the internet by providers that host servers and hardware in data centers.
- Remote access: The practice of using compute hardware or services over a network without physically transferring the hardware to the user.
- AI chip: Specialized processors designed to accelerate artificial intelligence and machine learning tasks.
Reader FAQ
What does the Remote Access Security Act do?
It would treat certain remote access to export‑controlled items, including high‑end GPUs and AI chips, as subject to US export controls.
How did China‑based companies access restricted US GPUs before this bill?
Reporting cited in the debate says they rented time on cloud hardware hosted outside China, using platforms such as AWS and services from local cloud providers that lease externally hosted hardware.
Has the bill become law?
Not yet — passage in the House occurred, but Senate action and presidential approval remain unresolved.
Are US companies allowed to sell advanced GPUs to China now?
The source says the US permitted Nvidia to sell H200 chips in China since April 2025, but Beijing has not formally approved those imports yet, though approval is believed likely.
PUBLIC SECTOR 2 Cloud to be an American: Congress votes to kick China off remote GPU services US House backs bill to regulate remote access to export-controlled chips Brandon Vigliarolo…
Sources
- Cloud to be an American: Congress votes to kick China off remote GPU services
- US House of Representatives passes bill to limit remote …
- Congress votes to close China cloud chip export loophole
- U.S. Export Controls and China: Advanced Semiconductors
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