News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by Goodroo on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @12:46PM (#37917858)
Do they people making these decisions not know that Huawei offers A100 equivalent GPUs and CUDA like framework called Mindspore that has over 2 million developers ?

Pushing the Chinese tech giants like Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu to work and grow this platform is the opposite of what these sanctions intend to achieve. What an own goal!

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by verdverm on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @01:39PM (#37918635)
They don't really need to be pushed, the CCP has set their own goals and agenda

https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/new-chinese-ambition...

That being said, decoupling increases the chances of a hot war. All this stuff is a lot like the 30s that scored humans a second world war.

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by xgl5k on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @12:51PM (#37917931)
Both the US and China are working to decouple their economies long term, starting with the most critical sectors first. Both sides are aware that there are short term consequences and some of their businesses may suffer but that in the long run decoupling will be better for their respective countries.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by pk-protect-ai on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @01:24PM (#37918425)
>> in the long run decoupling will be better for their respective countries

Globalization and collaboration making a huge difference in pace of the progress. Segregation and compartmentalization are very bad for everyone in a long run.

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by SubiculumCode on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @01:37PM (#37918599)
probably yes. although that's a bit of an article of faith. in analogy, I wonder how much progress and innovation, and general world progress, has resulted from opening the internet to include Russia, for example. Sometimes including actors that do not conform to certain ethical standards and trust worthy behaviors, leads to spreading infection and danger to the world.

Another analogy: Incorporating cancer cells into the body rather than sanctioning their growth, is a sure path to death.

this is not a directly equate China to cancer, especially the Chinese people to cancer. That's clearly incorrect. however, I do think it is correct to expect our trading partners to eventually establish trust with each other, on the geopolitical sphere, and if that fails to appear, it makes sense to diversify our strategic resources and partnerships

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by verdverm on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @01:45PM (#37918746)
> Sometimes including actors that do not conform to certain ethical standards and trust worthy behaviors, leads to spreading infection and danger to the world.

The Chinese people are fine. You can see some great projects on GitHub for example. I hear Shenzen is something special.

The CCP is the problem, not the Chinese generally

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by SubiculumCode on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @02:05PM (#37919084)
The Chinese are a great people. I want them to succeed. I know many tremendous individuals from Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Its the CCP that is the problem. I will say this plainly: Freedom for Hong Kong. Freedom for Taiwan.

I think I said that clearly, but apologies if it came out that way.

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by jacquesm on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @04:01PM (#37920750)
> I will say this plainly: Freedom for Hong Kong. Freedom for Taiwan.

Freedom for China would be nice too.

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by bluGill on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @01:53PM (#37918897)
I have no way to make that distinction. By virtual of living under the CCP, the Chinese people are also implicated as unethical and untrustworthy.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by verdverm on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @02:01PM (#37919039)
You don't find classifying and treating a whole group of people the same... bigatory?

You don't think there are Chinese that want a different governance model for their country?

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by bluGill on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @02:35PM (#37919536)
I don't have a choice. I never deal with individuals in China, only the country as a whole.

I know many Chinese are not happy with their government. However I cannot do anything to help them.

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by verdverm on Thursday October 19, 2023 @01:39PM (#37945944)
How do you not have a choice in how you view and treat others?
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by TaylorAlexander on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @02:08PM (#37919129)
Generally inappropriate broad over generalization.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by bluGill on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @05:01PM (#37921503)
Like most people not in China, I never deal with individual people, just the country. I see nothing inappropriate about my generalization, please go into more detail so I can figure out what you are talking about.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by jacquesm on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @04:02PM (#37920758)
You just painted 1B+ people with the same broad brush, on account of something that they likely had very little choice in. Unacceptable, really.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by protomolecule on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @04:06PM (#37920810)
"I wonder how much progress and innovation, and general world progress, has resulted from opening the internet to include Russia, for example."

Off the top of my head -- Nginx which is by some metrics the most popular web server[0]. Or Kotlin -- the programming language that Google recommends for writing Android apps[1].

"Sometimes including actors that do not conform to certain ethical standards and trust worthy behaviors, leads to spreading infection and danger to the world."

Could you tell how have you come to this way of thinking about a whole nation?

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nginx

[1] https://developer.android.com/kotlin/first

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by jacquesm on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @04:00PM (#37920739)
And are a preliminary to war.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by xgl5k on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @09:22AM (#37928267)
yes we are already amidst Cold War II.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by verdverm on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @01:43PM (#37918707)
> in the long run decoupling will be better for their respective countries.

That's populism seeping into the mind. Globle trade and collaboration have raised many people from poverty. It's how China and the US got to where they are today.

Decoupling increases the likelihood of confrontation. The US did similar to this with Japan just before WW2

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by bluGill on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @01:51PM (#37918853)
True, but what can you do. China is not showing signs today of being a good long term partner, so the US feels forced to escalate, and in return China does more. 15 years ago I thought that China would improve, but with Xi in power I no longer do. Only time will tell, but things are not looking: in the worst cases coupling would be even worse.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by verdverm on Thursday October 19, 2023 @02:48PM (#37946933)
Coupling means the cost of war is much hirer, especially for the people's daily lives

Coupling has a big impact on deterrence and not going to war in the first place. If you want war, then advocate for the regressive isolationist polices. If you don't want war, then look for places where we can collaborate, like climate change and trade

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by liuliu on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @01:55PM (#37918933)
Yes. But also the U.S. sees no way to influence the faction of China to the ways of the U.S. influence traditionally worked in China (unlike how China can influence the U.S. politics). So the cooperation game quickly becomes a game of one benefactor. It is a bad situation we are in but the U.S. cannot solely determines the outcome. China must have some structural changes to convince otherwise influence is possible.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by xgl5k on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @09:21AM (#37928241)
US and USSR were decoupled in the Cold War; US and China will probably be decoupled in Cold War II.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by londons_explore on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @02:00PM (#37919014)
Decoupling economies is step 1 to war.

Perhaps still 30 years away... but I think it will happen, and a war between two nuclear nations won't be pretty (although I doubt it'll actually be a nuclear war)

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by dageshi on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @04:01PM (#37920753)
Demographically I'm not sure China will be in a position to fight a war with the US in 30 years?
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by Goodroo on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @12:43AM (#37924929)
The minorites who will be the majority will not be committed to imperialism and empire building like the current Caucasians who are in charge of the US.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by londons_explore on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @10:30AM (#37929211)
I don't think a 2050 war between developed economies will involve many people... It'll be drove vs drone mostly.

It'll be a test of the economies of the nations to see who can build most high tech drones quickest and who can do R&D fastest to outclass the enemies inventions. Drone aircraft, ships, missiles, bombs.

I hope that as soon as one side has clearly better and more drones, the other will surrender, ideally before substantial loss of life.

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by londons_explore on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @10:39AM (#37929348)
Starting from a population 3x higher, it may not matter...
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by xgl5k on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @09:21AM (#37928253)
Cold War II has already started
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by _Parfait_ on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @02:31PM (#37919470)
The decoupling is vastly overblown and likely impossible.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by nine_k on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @12:52PM (#37917935)
Success rates may differ.

Do you know that AMD makes powerful GPUs that even have a general purpose programming interface called ROCm? Now try to persuade ML practitioners to switch to that ftom NVidia GPUs and CUDA.

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by Aerroon on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @01:15PM (#37918271)
And what would happen if Nvidia got banned? ROCm would take over. All the development resources would be going into that.

That's probably what's going to happen in China.

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by nine_k on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @01:34PM (#37918551)
ROCm likely won't take over, because of its flaws. Eventually, of course, either it or something else, would emerge as a solution.

But it will take time. Buying time is what this ban is trying to achieve. Slowing down the rivals.

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by londons_explore on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @02:02PM (#37919047)
I think you overestimate how long such a change would take.

If Nvidia was banned tomorrow, I think within 6 months another leader would emerge and be supported by all the big libraries.

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by IshKebab on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @02:15PM (#37919237)
ROCm is already supported by Pytorch apparently.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by latchkey on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @03:04PM (#37920026)
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by londons_explore on Wednesday October 18, 2023 @06:55AM (#37927007)
My understanding is that while it is theoretically supported, the vast majority of random pytorch projects you find on GitHub will need tweaks before they'll run in ROCm
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by djoletina on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @12:48PM (#37917898)
Completely agree, tbh both decisions (sanctions and no sanctions) have certain bad implications. But imho sanctions are much more dangerous in the long run for the US foreign policy.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by throwaway4good on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @12:49PM (#37917913)
It is unclear.

Perhaps they think that Huawei / smic is constrained on how much they can produce.

Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by Frost1x on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @01:29PM (#37918484)
As an armchair observer, China and businesses within it seem to have the general upper hand when it comes to production of most of anything. One popular tag line is that they lack true innovative IP type work but I'd say that's highly debatable. When it comes to pretty much any sort of physical production, the US seems at a disadvantage largely due to leadership and ownership direction starting from many decades ago.
Re:Export Controls on Advanced Computing and Semiconductor M... by londons_explore on Tuesday October 17, 2023 @02:07PM (#37919124)
I disassemble most things I get from china. There is a lot of engineering innovation, but the innovation isn't aimed at the user of the device. The innovation is in ways to make a functional device with fewer manufacturing steps, cheaper.

However, one day those engineering minds will divert their attention from making devices cheaper and more efficient towards making the same devices perform better and have more features. At that point, the consumer will see the innovation.