US plans AI chip curbs on Malaysia, Thailand over China concerns: sources
A draft rule from the Commerce Department seeks to prevent China – to which the US has effectively banned sales of Nvidia's advanced AI processors – from obtaining those components through intermediaries in the two South-east Asian nations, according to people familiar with the matter. The rule is not yet finalised and could still change, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Officials plan to pair the Malaysia and Thailand controls with a formal rescission of global curbs from the so-called AI diffusion rule, the people said. That framework from the end of President Joe Biden's term drew objections from US allies and tech companies, including Nvidia. Washington would maintain semiconductor restrictions targeting China – imposed in 2022 and ramped up several times since – as well as more than 40 other countries covered by a 2023 measure, which Biden officials designed to address smuggling concerns and increase visibility into key markets.
All told, the regulation would mark the first formal step in Trump's promised overhaul of his predecessor's AI diffusion approach – after the Commerce Department said in May that it would supplant that Biden rule with its own 'bold, inclusive strategy.' But the draft measure is far from a comprehensive replacement, the people said. It does not answer, for example, questions about security conditions for the use of US chips in overseas data centres – a debate with particularly high stakes for the Middle East. It's unclear whether Trump officials may ultimately regulate AI chip shipments to a wider swath of countries, beyond the Malaysia and Thailand additions.
The Commerce Department did not respond to a request for comment. The agency has offered few specifics about its regulatory vision beyond what Secretary Howard Lutnick told lawmakers last month: The US will 'allow our allies to buy AI chips, provided they're run by an approved American data centre operator, and the cloud that touches that data centre is an approved American operator,' he said during congressional testimony.
Nvidia, the dominant maker of AI chips, declined to comment, while spokespeople for the Thai and Malaysian governments did not respond. Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang has previously said there's 'no evidence' of AI chip diversion, in general remarks that did not touch on any particular country. In response to earlier Bloomberg queries about curbs focused on smuggling risks, Thailand said it's awaiting details, while Malaysia's Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry said clear and consistent policies are essential for the tech sector.
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Washington officials for years have debated which countries should be able to import American AI chips – and under what conditions. On one hand, the world wants Nvidia hardware, and US policymakers want the world to build AI systems using American technology – before China can offer a compelling alternative. On the other, once those semiconductors leave American and allied shores, US officials worry the chips could somehow make their way to China, or that Chinese AI companies could benefit from remote access to data centres outside the Asian country.
South-east Asia is a key focus. Companies including Oracle are investing aggressively in data centres in Malaysia, and trade data shows that chip shipments there have surged in recent months. Under pressure from Washington, Malaysian officials have pledged to closely scrutinise those imports, but the Commerce Department's draft rule indicates the US still has concerns.
Semiconductor sales to Malaysia also are a focal point of a court case in neighbouring Singapore, where prosecutors have charged three men with defrauding customers about the ultimate destination of AI servers – originally shipped from the island nation to Malaysia – that may have contained advanced Nvidia chips. (Nvidia is not the subject of Singapore's investigation and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.)
The export curbs on Malaysia and Thailand would include several measures to ease pressure on companies with significant business operations there, people familiar with the matter said. One provision would allow firms headquartered in the US and a few dozen friendly nations to continue shipping AI chips to both countries, without seeking a licence, for a few months after the rule is published, people familiar with the matter said.
The licence requirements also would still include certain exemptions to prevent supply chain disruptions, the people said. Many semiconductor companies rely on South-east Asian facilities for crucial manufacturing steps like packaging, the process of encasing chips for use in devices. BLOOMBERG
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Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox (Clockwise from left) Mentai Ebi Fry Don from Haru-Haru; salmon and scallop sashimi from Ten Ten Otoko Japanese Food; and Unagi Ju Don and Tonkatsu With Pork Suki Don from Jinggho Shokudo. SINGAPORE – At Ten Ten Otoko, a Japanese food stall tucked inside a coffee shop in Lavender, stall owner David Wong deftly slices slabs of sashimi-grade salmon. He pats them on ice, garnishing them with lemon slices to counter the heat of the setting with no air-conditioning. The price? Ten dollars for five hefty slices. The 39-year-old, who opened the stall in August 2024, started out serving raw fish and sushi at a coffee-shop stall at Punggol's Edgefield Plains, which he ran from January 2022 until he moved out in December 2023, to a larger space. His motivation is to deliver well-priced Japanese fare, served with the flair and discipline of a restaurant kitchen, that regulars are able to afford more than once a week. 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ST PHOTO: TARYN NG In comparison, he notes, an unagi rice bowl with only half an eel would cost around $24 at a restaurant, before GST and service charges. His stall's bestseller is the Tonkatsu With Pork Suki Don ($7.50), packed with braised pork belly and a crisp katsu (pork cutlet) topped with tangy housemade nanban sauce – a mix of hard-boiled egg, onion, mayonnaise, Japanese vinegar and a touch of Sarawak black pepper. Sweetcorn and broccoli complete the bowl. The combination, while not strictly Japanese, is tailored for local diners who enjoy variety. Tonkatsu With Pork Suki Don at Jinggho Shokudo at Yishun Park Hawker Centre. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG Mr Kong is scouting for a third location, perhaps in a foodcourt, and hopes to scale up to five outlets. The father of a four-year-old boy says: 'I struck gold with this stall, so I want to keep it going.' Xin Japanese Cuisine Legendary: Reviving an old menu Where: Stall 4, 01-763 Kopihouse 1990, Block 211 New Upper Changi Road Open: 11am to 9pm daily At 21, Mr Ye Guo Wei got his first introduction to Japanese cuisine when working at a foodcourt stall owned by a former restaurant chef. Twenty years later, the 41-year-old is back – not as an employee, but as the owner of Xin Japanese Cuisine Legendary, a coffee-shop stall reviving the very menu that kick-started his interest in Japanese food. Stall owner of Xin Japanese Cuisine Legendary, Mr Ye Guo Wei. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG 'I always felt that the menu my ex-boss designed stood out in the mass market, and it was a pity he never opened another Japanese stall,' says Mr Ye, who launched his business in March 2025 in New Upper Changi Road. His former boss readily agreed when he asked to reprise items from the old menu. Mr Ye's culinary journey began at 18, working at a Taiwanese hotplate stall. Three years later, he was offered a job at the Japanese foodcourt stall where his mother worked as a cashier. He had frequently patronised the stall as a customer, drawn to its katsu rice bowl. There, the boss taught him how to prepare Japanese sauces – using mirin, cooking sake and Japanese shoyu – over the next six years, including how to marinate meats for yakiniku. After stints cooking Taiwanese, Korean and mala dishes at other stalls, Mr Ye eventually became head chef at a now-defunct izakaya in Khatib. There, he refined his skills further – handling sushi, sashimi, yakitori, grilled wagyu and oysters – before leaving in January 2025 to strike out on his own. Mr Ye enjoys cooking Japanese fare. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG At his stall, prices range from $5.50 for Kitsune Udon, which comes with Japanese fish cake, inari (beancurd skin), xiao bai cai and roasted seaweed; to $16.80 for Grilled Unagi Kabayaki, served with a whole slab of eel. 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For his tonkatsu, he uses US pork that costs $17 a kilogram – more than double the price of Brazilian pork. 'I want to present high-quality Japanese food even though it is in a foodcourt,' he says. Other favourites include the Mentai Ebi Fry Don ($12.90) and Mentai Chicken Karaage Don ($7.90), both made to order using premium ingredients. Mentai Ebi Fry Don at Haru-Haru. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG 'It is more challenging running a foodcourt stall as customers have higher expectations when it comes to getting value for their money,' he says. 'I am giving customers restaurant-quality food.' Menya Horikawa: Mazesoba in a hawker centre Where: 01-40 Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre, 202C Woodleigh Link Open: 11.30am to 8.30pm daily Mr Rick Tan runs hawker stall Menya Horikawa, which specialises in mazesoba. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR When Mr Rick Tan's egglet and waffle hawker stall did not perform as well as he had hoped, he hatched a new plan. He pivoted to selling mazesoba (Japanese dry ramen) nine months later in May 2025. The 29-year-old, who runs his stall at Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre, says: 'There's stronger demand for staples over snacks here. Noodles are more viable in a hawker setting.' He chose mazesoba – a dish he enjoys – as it is still relatively niche in Singapore's hawker scene. He says: 'Bak chor mee is my favourite food, but competition is too strong. Mazesoba is similar but Japanese, and Singaporeans love Japanese food.' Not having any formal culinary training did not deter the Singapore Polytechnic graduate in business information technology, who has a side hustle in website design and marketing services. He found Japanese restaurant chef Koichi Horikawa, who is from Tokyo and working in Singapore. He was willing to teach Mr Tan to cook mazesoba. From February to April 2025 , Mr Tan trained for two hours daily at Horikawa's restaurant. Mr Tan named his stall Menya Horikawa to pay tribute to the chef and strictly follows his advice, using only Japanese ingredients. For instance, he opts for Japanese sesame oil at $26 for 1.5 litres – versus local brands at $7 for 1 litre – for its superior aroma and flavour. He uses tsukemen noodles, which remain springy after boiling, though they take five minutes to cook and cost almost $1 a portion. 'Some customers lack the patience to wait, but I choose quality over convenience,' he says. Mr Rick Tan uses premium ingredients such as sesame oil from Japan to prepare his seasoning. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR Ingredients make up 40 per cent of operating expenses, yet he keeps prices competitive, aiming to recover costs through volume. Dishes start at $6.90 for a regular Original Mazesoba, comprising noodles with minced pork, spring onion, nori, onsen egg; and go up to $10.90 for a large order of Spicy Seafood Mazesoba with prawns, crab sticks and Japanese fish powder seasoning. Spicy Seafood Mazesoba at Menya Horikawa at Woodleigh Village Hawker Centre. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR For spice lovers, he makes a house-blend chilli with chilli padi, miso, black pepper, shoyu and sesame oil, topped with ichimi (Japanese chilli powder). The Spicy Mazesoba ($7.90) is a top seller, featuring spicy minced pork, nori, spring onion and onsen egg. His advice: 'Mix well before digging in.'
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