Microsoft revealed that it may ask some of its Chinese-based staff to consider migrating outside of the country amidst growing tensions over technology.
As tensions between the United States and China over technology like artificial intelligence and semiconductors increase, Microsoft (MSFT.O) announced on Thursday that it is considering asking some of its employees based in China to consider moving outside.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which broke the story first, Microsoft is considering moving approximately 700–800 employees who work in machine learning and other cloud computing-related fields.
“A regular component of overseeing our international business is offering internal possibilities. A Microsoft representative sent an email stating, “As part of this process, we shared an optional internal transfer opportunity with a subset of employees,” though it did not say how many employees received the request.
According to the spokesperson, Microsoft is still dedicated to China and will keep operating there as well as in other areas.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which cited sources familiar with the situation, the workers—the majority of whom are Chinese engineers—were given the choice to relocate to the United States, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand earlier this week.
The action was taken in the midst of rapidly deteriorating Sino-American ties due to tariff increases by President Joe Biden’s administration on a range of Chinese goods, including computer chips, medical supplies, and batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).
A new regulatory drive to limit the export of closed-source or private AI models—whose training data and software are kept secret—is being considered by the U.S. Commerce Department.
Also read: Unveiling the Ethical Imperatives: Navigating the Intersection of AI and Cybersecurity
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