Near-Term Enforcement of AI Chip Export Controls Using A Minimal Firmware-Based Design for Offline Licensing

arXiv:2404.18308v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: Offline licensing is a technical mechanism for compute governance that could be used to prevent unregulated training of potentially dangerous frontier AI models. The mechanism works by disabling AI chips unless they have an up-to-date license from a regulator. In this report, we present a technical design for a minimal version of offline licensing that could be delivered via a firmware update. Existing AI chips could potentially support offline licensing within a year if they …

ai chips ai models arxiv chip chips compute controls cs.cr cs.cy date design enforcement export export controls firmware frontier governance license licensing mechanism near offline prevent technical the mechanism training up-to-date