US eyes expedited transport of AI supplies
The U.S. State Department on Aug. 12 said it was seeking bids for a new initiative aiming to speed up the transport of AI infrastructure components, beginning with a pilot program in Panama.
The idea is to create a platform, a kind of digital passport for electronic components, that would certify the origin and route of each shipment transiting the Panama Canal to expedite customs clearance for shipments deemed reliable.
For several years, Washington has restricted exports of the most advanced semiconductors, crucial for training artificial intelligence models, to China and is seeking to prevent third countries from being used as loopholes.
In a request for proposals that does not mention Beijing, the State Department presented the future platform as an “alternative” to the logistics systems of “strategic competitors” that could be used for “economic coercion.”
