The Trump administration has unveiled bans targeting imports of new Chinese humanoid and quadruped robots as well as connected power inverters, saying the measures are intended to protect the United States’ artificial intelligence (AI) buildout from national security threats.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the restrictions on Tuesday (28 July). They cover new robot models and power inverters, which help renewable energy sources and batteries connect to grids and data-centre equipment.
The FCC said the devices could create supply-chain vulnerabilities, disrupt U.S. economic and national security, and pose cybersecurity risks to critical infrastructure. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the agency would continue working to secure America’s critical supply chains.
Officials say the restrictions are aimed at reducing risks of disruption, data theft and cyberattacks while encouraging companies to shift manufacturing to the United States. The measures took effect on publication and apply to models not yet released, though the FCC also has authority to revoke authorizations for models already approved for U.S. sale.
The Chinese embassy in Washington urged the United States to stop “smearing Chinese companies and threatening them with sanctions,” adding that Beijing would take all necessary measures against actions that materially harm its interests.
The robot ban is expected to affect Unitree, a leading Chinese humanoid-robot maker with just under a fifth of the global market, according to Counterpoint Research. Unitree was recently added to the Pentagon’s list of alleged Chinese military-backed companies, a step that can precede tougher U.S. action.
Unitree has formed a partnership with Nvidia to use the U.S. chipmaker’s Blackwell chip in one of its robots. Nvidia has said data from the robots will remain in the United States and that Unitree’s largest customers are U.S. academic and research institutions.
China hawks fear such robots could collect industrial data, aid foreign intelligence services or be remotely commandeered. U.S. Representative John Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, said the FCC move protects the country and strengthens the U.S. robotics industry.
The inverter restrictions also target an industry dominated by China, led by companies including Sungrow Power Supply and Huawei. U.S. officials have raised concerns that government-linked hacking campaigns such as Volt Typhoon could use connected equipment to hide attacks on American critical infrastructure.
Following the FCC action, many non-Chinese suppliers are expected to be exempted, four additional sources said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has separately warned that Chinese AI firms could face U.S. sanctions over alleged theft of U.S. intellectual property.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames....
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the st...
A new study has found that baby girls exposed to paracetamol during pregnancy had, on average, smaller ovaries and uteruses and fewer ovarian folli...
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday on efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Indonesia has reopened Jakarta's main airport and four others after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau forced widespread flight cancellations, though fresh eruptions have kept authorities on alert.
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, Veniamin Kondratyev, Governor of the Krasnodar region, said. Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks, Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said.
The United States and China are preparing to hold their first official bilateral talks focused exclusively on artificial intelligence as concerns grow over the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems.
AI may live in the cloud, but the infrastructure powering it is anything but virtual. As data centres consume ever more electricity and water, the race is on to find new ways to keep the machines running.
Hua Hong Semiconductor, China's second-largest contract chipmaker, is investing $2 billion to build a new fabrication plant in Wuxi, China as part of a push to expand capacity as domestic demand for AI-related chips outstrips what the industry can currently produce.
A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor has run 100 metres in 9.32 seconds, beating Usain Bolt's men's world record of 9.58 seconds, China's state broadcaster reported on Saturday.
An artificial intelligence agent running an experimental store in San Francisco has recommended dismissing a human employee after the worker repeatedly arrived late for shifts.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment