U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R—Arkansas) introduced a bill that would require manufacturers of high-end graphics processors (i.e. Nvidia, but also AMD, Intel and Apple) to include geotracking technology in them. This would allow the government to track them at all times post-manufacture and "prevent unauthorized foreign access to sensitive technology."
The first and central provision of the bill is the requirement for tracking technology to be embedded in any high-end processor module or device that falls under the U.S. export restrictions. This condition would take effect six months after the legislation is enacted, which will make the lives of companies like AMD, Intel, and Nvidia harder, as adding a feature to already developed products is a tough task. The mechanism must allow verification of a chip's or device's physical location, enabling the U.S. government to confirm whether it remains at the approved endpoint. Yet, exporters would be obliged to keep track of their products.
Sir, to prevent Chinese spying, we have to know where every gamer is.
