The Trump administration drafted an order to ban the import of Chinese-made data center optical modules

According to Reuters, citing four informed sources, the Trump administration is drafting a ban on the import of new models of optical modules for data centers from China. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is formulating this measure to prohibit the import of new models of optical modules that can transmit data through fiber optic cables within data centers, with officials hoping to release and implement it within this year. The ban aims to prevent Chinese companies from stealing data, implanting malware, or disrupting services at U.S. data centers.

The ban may primarily affect Inspur (leading with a 27% share of the global data center optical module market), which was listed in June of this year on the Pentagon's list of companies involved in military activities. U.S. cloud providers (such as AWS) may be forced to turn to alternative suppliers like Coherent and Lumentum, raising costs. The FCC has previously imposed similar restrictions on Chinese drones, routers, robots, and inverters. The Chinese embassy in the U.S. stated that "it will take all necessary measures to respond to any actions that harm China's interests." The draft may still be modified or shelved.