TECH - Microsoft Urges China-Based AI Team Employees To Relocate Amid Escalating Tech Tensions Between Beijing And Washington | Benzinga
Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) has requested hundreds of its China-based employees to consider relocating amid the escalating technological tensions between the U.S. and China.
What Happened: The company recently extended relocation offers to around 700 to 800 staff members, primarily engineers of Chinese nationality. These individuals are being given the chance to transfer to various countries such as the U.S., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, reported The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The relocation initiative targets employees involved in machine learning and other tasks linked to cloud computing.
Microsoft has approximately 7,000 engineers working in its Asia-Pacific research and development division, with the majority located in China.
This move by Microsoft, a major player in cloud computing and AI, comes as President Joe Biden‘s administration tightens restrictions on China’s access to advanced AI technology. The White House is considering new regulations that ...