US lawmakers pressuring Biden to stop China from using Open Source chip designs

A broader coalition of US lawmakers from both sides of the aisle is inquiring with the Biden administration regarding its strategies to address the increasing utilization of RISC-V chip design technology by China. This concern has gained momentum following a recent Reuters report, which highlighted growing apprehensions about this issue in both houses of Congress.

RISC-V, commonly referred to as “risk five,” is a freely available open-source technology. It offers a competitive alternative to the expensive proprietary technology offered by Arm Holdings, a British semiconductor and software design company, and Intel Corp. It can serve as a fundamental component in various applications, ranging from smartphone chips to cutting-edge processors used in artificial intelligence systems.

US firms such as Qualcomm and Alphabet’s Google have embraced RISC-V, but so too have many Chinese companies.

Reuters last month reported that at least four influential US lawmakers view Chinese use of the technology as a potential national security threat because RISC-V is not captured by the sweeping export controls the US has imposed on sending chip technology to China.

Now, a broader group of 18 lawmakers that includes five Democrats is asking the Biden administration for how it plans to prevent China “from achieving dominance in … RISC-V technology and leveraging that dominance at the expense of US national and economic security,” according to a letter the group sent to Raimondo and seen by Reuters.

The lawmakers include the Republican chairman and ranking Democrat from a select committee on China in the House of Representatives as well as Democratic lawmakers from New Jersey, Florida, Michigan and Indiana. They also asked the Biden administration about how it might apply an existing executive order to require US companies to get an export license before working with Chinese companies on RISC-V technology.

“While the benefits of open-source collaboration on RISC-V promise to be significant for advancement and development of the US semiconductor industry, it can only be realised when contributors are working with the sole aim of improving the technology, and not aiding the technological goals and geopolitical interests of” China, the group of lawmakers wrote in the letter.

A Commerce Department spokesperson said Raimondo had received the letter and would respond through the appropriate channels.

(With input from agencies)