Friday, August 7, 2015

China restricts exports of drones and supercomputers



China is curbing its exports of advanced drones and supercomputers, in an effort to gain tighter control over technologies linked to national security.

As of mid-August, Chinese makers of super-powerful drones and some advanced computers will have to obtain an export license, according to a statement from China’s Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs.

Computers will require an export license if they exceed 8 "teraflops" – which means they can process more than 8 trillion calculations a second, roughly equivalent to the processing power of 33 Xbox 360s.

China has been strengthening its control over its technology industry, as it seeks to avoid infiltration by foreign spies and build up globally competitive tech companies.

China’s drones have also caused political incidents in recent months, after unmanned aircraft sold by Shenzhen-based SZ DJI Technology Co. were flown onto the roof of the office of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the grounds of the White House in Washington.

For more of the Wall Street Journal story: blogs.wsj.com


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