Iran has threatened OpenAI's Stargate data center project in the UAE, where construction is underway targeting 200 megawatts of capacity by end of 2026.

The US Commerce Department has confirmed a new, stricter framework for AI accelerator export controls, formally replacing the Biden-era AI diffusion rule and requiring government licensing for strategic AI chip shipments to most countries.

China has granted conditional approval for its top AI startup DeepSeek to purchase Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence chips, with regulatory conditions still being finalized by the NDRC. DeepSeek is expected to launch its next-generation V4 model with strong coding capabilities in mid-February 2026.

China leads global embodied AI development with humanoid robots and autonomous systems, positioning itself as major supplier while US lags behind.

China's Ministry of Commerce is investigating whether Meta's acquisition of Manus, a Singapore-based AI startup with Chinese roots, violates the country's technology export and investment rules.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei criticizes the US administration's decision to allow Nvidia to sell advanced H200 AI chips to China, warning of critical national security implications and comparing the move to nuclear weapons proliferation.

Chinese AI firm DeepSeek is operating around the clock, developing cost-effective AI models and challenging U.S. dominance with its open-source approach and strong government backing.

In a significant escalation of the tech trade war, Chinese authorities have reportedly blocked imports of Nvidia's H200 AI chips, a move that comes despite the US government having cleared them for export.