The US Commerce Department is looking at China’s adoption of RISC-V, including reviewing what options exist to limit China’s adoption of the tech.

RISC-V is an open-source alternative to Arm processors. RISC-V International, the organization that oversees RISC-V development, makes its stand clear on the project’s website.

RISC-V does not take a political position on behalf of any geography. We are proud to see organizations from around the world working together in this new era of processor innovation. RISC-V was founded in 2015 as the RISC-V Foundation and is incorporated today as RISC-V International Association in Switzerland.

The project’s open nature makes it difficult for the US to exercise the same level of control that it has on other companies and limit China’s access to advanced semiconductor tech. According to Reuters, however, that hasn’t stopped US lawmakers from wanting the Biden administration to take steps to prevent China “from achieving dominance in … RISC-V technology and leveraging that dominance at the expense of U.S. national and economic security.”

The Commerce Department sent a letter to lawmakers—seen by Reuters—saying that it was “working to review potential risks and assess whether there are appropriate actions under Commerce authorities that could effectively address any potential concerns.”

At the same time, the Commerce Department acknowledged there were challenges involved, since any action taken could also harm US companies that are also part of RISC-V International.