The US government has added a number of advanced technologies to its export sanctions list, bringing sanctions in line with those of its international partners.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) outlined the new restrictions in an interim final rule (IFR) in the Federal Register, published on September 5.

Impacted technologies now include quantum computers and associated components and software; advanced semiconductor production equipment; additive manufacturing items used to produce metal or metal alloys; and gate all-around field-effect transistor (GAAFET) technology, used in the production of high-performance computing chips for supercomputing.

“Today’s action ensures our national export controls keep step with rapidly evolving technologies and are more effective when we work in concert with international partners,” said Alan Estevez, Under Secretary for the Bureau of Industry and Security.

“Aligning our controls on quantum and other advanced technologies makes it significantly more difficult for our adversaries to develop and deploy these technologies in ways that threaten our collective security.”

The move mimics one made by the Japanese government in April 2024 when it announced plans to expand export restrictions on technologies related to semiconductors and quantum computing.

In that instance, impacted technologies included scanning electron microscopes and gate-all-around transistors, while licenses for the shipment of quantum computers and cryogenic CMOS circuits were also introduced.

In its post, BIS acknowledged that several “like-minded countries” have already announced new export controls for quantum computing and advanced semiconductor manufacturing technologies, adding that it anticipates that other countries will soon follow suit.