The Biden administration has blocked the sale of some of Nvidia's highest-grade microchips in the Middle East due to worries about China attempting to acquire the technology indirectly.

Nvidia, one of the largest chipmakers in the United States, was ordered to seek permission to export specific chips to certain countries in the Middle East, according to a filing reviewed by the Telegraph. The restrictions are part of the United States's efforts to limit Chinese access to the chips required to develop artificial intelligence. It would stop Middle Eastern companies from purchasing the chips only to sell them to Chinese companies to get around Biden's export limits. The filing did not reveal which countries were affected by the restrictions.

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"During the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 (the three months to July 30), the U.S. Government informed us of an additional licensing requirement for a subset of A100 and H100 products destined to certain customers and other regions, including some countries in the Middle East," the filing said.

The affected chips include the H100 and A100 chips, which are necessary for training and developing software such as OpenAI's ChatGPT. The chips are currently not allowed in China and Russia.

Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have spoken with China about improving relationships concerning AI development and have ordered thousands of Nvidia chips.

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Nvidia previously adjusted its chips so they could be sold to China while abiding by the Commerce Department's requirements.

Biden released an executive order in early August that restricted investments by U.S. companies in Chinese developers. This announcement, alongside nearly a year of export controls of chips, has severely restricted China's access to high-end technology required for military development.