The decision of who is harmed by the elimination of new US restrictions on the sale of technology to China will depend on the composition of the "supercomputer", experts told Reuters.

The semiconductor industry around the world on Friday began to fight the US ban on the sale of chips and equipment to China.

Shares of chipmakers fell, but industry experts said the new US definition of supercomputers could be a major factor influencing the new rules in China.

"Data center build-outs like Alibaba or ByteDance will be able to hit petaflops," CCS Insight chip analyst Wayne Lam said.

The new definition cannot change as the company's technology improves. Chinese computers may now be the standard for trade, but they will still face restrictions imposed on Friday to prevent any crackdown on American equipment or technology from entering China. The company "could go into a lot of cash flow in the next few years," Lam said.

Jack Dongarra, a computer science professor who helps lead a group called the TOP500 that ranks the world's fastest supercomputers, said he disagrees with the static definition.

 "The problem is that the definition of a supercomputer will change over time," he said via email

Leaders of Chinese companies with large data centers such as Baidu, Alibaba and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Tencent declined to comment.

Determining the amount of energy per cubic foot can also allow for creative environments. For example, one expert said, use fiber optic cables to connect high computing power across large distances.

"They can spread their supercomputers over a large area," said a hacker and data center expert who asked not to be named because of the political implications of the new law.

 "A computer architect would say, 'That's not how it's done!' But not being able to do it any other way brings out a lot of creativity and a desire to do something different."