For most governments, the primary concern when thinking about new and emerging technologies is their potential defense applications and the fear that adversaries will gain military advantage by getting their hands on them. (I’ve argued — ad nauseam — that this is too narrow a focus, but I’ll give that a rest today.)
As a result, they have expanded the scope of export controls to include these new technologies, upending collaboration, disrupting business and straining the institutions and the partnerships that make those controls work.
Thus far, semiconductors and associated technologies have been the principal focus. The Biden administration has gone to great lengths to cut their flow to countries of concern — principally but not exclusively China — and has been pressing allied governments to do the same. The U.S. characterizes its policy as “small yard, high fence,” but the yard will soon get bigger as Washington assesses the potential of other technologies.