The United States is apparently moving toward a future where semiconductors might be able to report their whereabouts like snitches with a silicon conscience. Michael Kratsios, a senior official and one of the minds behind the federal government’s recently unveiled AI action plan, confirmed Washington is thinking about giving chips “better location-tracking” so they can be followed wherever they go.

The idea is part of a broader strategy to prevent high-powered American chips, made by companies like Nvidia, from finding their way into Chinese hands through smuggling or gray-market sales. In other words, the chips may not just compute, they may tattle.