Want to pause frontier AI? Start with the chips
· Source: johnmenadue.com
In short
Barry Eichengreen, Will Fithian and Wesley Holliday argue that a global pause on training frontier AI models is both feasible and sustainable because the advanced chip supply chain is highly concentrated. A 'hardwired pause' would halt production of training-capable chips while allowing inference-only chips, exploiting chokepoints such as ASML's extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, Zeiss mirrors and refined rare earths. The authors contend that monitoring and repeated-game incentives, akin to nuclear weapons containment, could deter defection between the US and China.
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Tags: supply chain, semiconductors, governance, export controls, AI chips