The Trump administration is working on a draft ban targeting Chinese-made data center equipment, a move that would significantly expand Washington’s tech decoupling campaign beyond semiconductors and into the physical backbone of the internet itself.
The potential restrictions would likely cover servers, networking gear, and related components manufactured by Chinese vendors.
A broader tech war reaches the server rack
The US government has been systematically reducing its reliance on Chinese technology since at least 2018. First came restrictions on telecommunications equipment, including listing Chinese firms like Huawei as entities of concern. Then came semiconductor export controls designed to cut off China’s access to advanced chips. Now the crosshairs are moving to data center hardware.
The draft ban signals that US policymakers view this hardware dependency as a national security vulnerability. No specific enforcement timeline has been disclosed. The companies and products that would fall under the restrictions also remain unspecified.
