RHB Investment Bank Bhd (RHB IB) is confident that Joe Biden’s recent move to restrict exports of artificial intelligence chips will have a minimal impact on Malaysia’s key data centre contractors, particularly Gamuda Bhd (GAM) and Sunway Construction Group Bhd (SCGB).

In a research note today, RHB IB said this is due to the high likelihood of their DC clients from Tier 1 countries being eligible to apply for the Universal Validated End User (UVEU) programme, allowing larger quantities of AI chips to be brought into Tier 2 countries like Malaysia if certain conditions are met.