Microsoft is reportedly asking up to 800 China-based employees if they’d consider leaving the country as tensions between the US and China grow.
The company is offering workers involved in machine learning or cloud work transfers to countries like the US, Ireland, and Australia, sources told The Wall Street Journal.
Representatives for Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.
A spokesperson told the Journal that internal opportunities were a normal part of business, and Microsoft remained committed to its operations in China.
The report comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing over issues including AI chips. The Biden administration is considering new rules that would require US tech companies to have licenses before handing over access to AI chips to Chinese customers, per the Journal.
There have been concerns harsher rules could escalate a fight with Beijing over the vital chips.
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