As the US government restricts access to China's advanced technology, there are reports that Microsoft is considering relocating its Chinese-based cloud computing and artificial intelligence operations employees overseas.
Microsoft, which primarily employs Chinese engineers, is offering relocation opportunities to countries including the United States, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources. It was reported that it was. Microsoft is reportedly making offers to around 700 to 800 employees working in machine learning and cloud computing.
However, CNBC has not been able to independently verify this information.
A Microsoft spokesperson acknowledged in a statement that ``we were offering some employees the opportunity to move within the company,'' but did not provide details on the specific number of employees or departments affected. I didn't touch it.
"We will continue to operate in the region and have a presence in other markets," the spokesperson said, adding that the move would have no impact on the business. Microsoft reportedly employs about 7,000 engineers in its Asia-Pacific research and development group, with most employees based in China.
The move comes as part of the United States' efforts to prevent military use of China's cutting-edge AI technology. Over the past two years, the United States has introduced regulations restricting China's ability to purchase advanced chips and chip-making equipment needed to train AI models.
The Biden administration is considering new restrictions on the export of advanced AI models such as the Microsoft-backed ChatGPT. Currently, there is little government oversight when major U.S. cloud computing and AI companies, such as Microsoft, provide AI modeling services to foreign companies.
According to reports, the US government is concerned that AI models that mine large amounts of data to generate content could be used for cyberattacks or to create biological weapons.
Earlier this year, Microsoft published a report that found state-sponsored hackers in Russia, China, and Iran were using OpenAI tools to aid their hacking efforts.
Microsoft has been deeply involved in the Chinese market for more than 30 years, while other Western tech companies have been squeezed out by strict regulations. The company says it has the largest research and development center outside the United States in China.
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