The outgoing US administration unveiled the new export rules on Monday in its latest effort to make it tough for China and other rivals to access the advanced technology.

But the rules do not treat all members of NATO and the European Union equally, as certain countries including France and Germany are exempted, while many others including Estonia and Poland are not.

"A decision made by the outgoing US administration to restrict advanced AI chip exports to some allies is completely thoughtless and harmful," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said on X.

"In developing AI, allies must expand cooperation instead of imposing restrictions on each other," he added.

Earlier this week, the EU also expressed concern over the new export rules, insisting the bloc was "not a security risk" for the United States.

Washington has expanded its efforts in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that these can be used to advance Beijing's military systems and other tech capabilities.