OpenAI is planning to block access to its technology for entities in China and some other countries, according to an email sent out to affected users.
Chinese API Users to Be Blocked
OpenAI has notified Chinese users of its platform that they are in a “region that OpenAI does not currently support” and that additional measures to block API traffic from certain regions will be taken starting July 9. OpenAi has sent an email to users from the affected regions, informing about the imminent blocking of their IP addresses.
“Our data shows that your organization has API traffic from a region that OpenAl does not currently support. You can find the supported countries and territories here. We will be taking additional measures to block API traffic from regions that are not on our supported countries and territories list starting on July 9. To continue using OpenAl’s services, you will need to access the service in a supported region.”
The move by OpenAI represents further restrictions by the US on China’s access to advanced AI technology as the tech war between the two countries continues.
Many Chinese startups have been able to access OpenAI’s API platform and use it to build their own AI applications. However, with the upcoming access restrictions, these companies must now turn to local alternatives in China.
Alibaba and Baidu as Alternatives
Major Chinese tech firms like Baidu, Alibaba, and Zhipu AI are already taking steps to attract users of OpenAI’s services by offering migration plans, free tokens, and promoting their own large language models as replacements.
Alibaba has been ramping up its Modelscope Model-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform over recent months, offering a broad range of AI models that Chinese businesses can possibly use to replace OpenAI´s services.
Modelscope provides an extensive collection of over 5,000 AI models, including Alibaba Cloud’s proprietary “Qwen” AI models, as well as contributions from the Chinese AI firms Baichuan and Zhipu. The platform not only targets Chinese users, and has just started rolling out the English-language Modelscope version for international customers.
US Bans on China Limits AI Development
US sanctions targeting AI and high-tech in general have already affected many Chinese tech giants, leading to countermeasures. China is boosting its own semiconductor industry with major investments. The government recently initiated its third state-backed investment fund with $47.5 billion in capital.
Companies like TikTok-maker Bytedance are working around sanctions, acquiring Nvidia chips through cloud providers based in the United States. The company also plans to develop a US sanction-compliant AI chip for China to meet surging processing demands for AI models.
Last Updated on November 7, 2024 3:47 pm CET
