The U.S. Department of Commerce has prohibited Chinese self-driving truck company TuSimple from sending 24 A100 GPUs to Australia, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. Although Australia isn't under any sanctions or restrictions when it comes to graphics cards, the U.S. government is concerned these A100s might make their way into China, and has subsequently blocked the shipment. TuSimple denied these allegations, claiming the A100 GPUs were for its Australian subsidiary.
Lots of GPUs are now banned from China, particularly the higher-end models that could theoretically be used to advance the country's military goals and for other purposes that the U.S. disapproves of. The A100 was one of the first GPUs to fall under export restrictions, and the Department of Commerce is paying close attention in enforcing those rules.
