U.S. approves H200 sales to 10 China firms, but no chips ship
The U.S. government has cleared approximately 10 Chinese firms, including Alibaba and Tencent, to purchase Nvidia's H200 AI chips, but no deliveries have been made due to resistance from Beijing. This situation highlights the ongoing U.S.-China tech rivalry and China's push for domestic AI chip development, with Nvidia's CEO actively seeking a resolution.
Key Takeaways
- The Commerce Department approved around 10 Chinese buyers for Nvidia’s H200, including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance and JD.com.
- Lenovo and Foxconn were also approved as H200 distributors in China, according to sources.
- Each approved customer can buy up to 75,000 chips under the U.S. licensing terms, two sources said.
- Despite U.S. approval, no H200 deliveries have been made so far.
- Beijing has tightened supply chain scrutiny with new regulations and guidance that have discouraged Chinese firms from completing orders.
Why It Matters
For now, the issue is not U.S. approval but execution: approved H200 sales are still stuck before a first delivery. That leaves Nvidia caught between Washington’s licensing terms, including a 25% revenue share and U.S.-territory shipment routing, and Beijing’s push to reduce foreign chip dependence. The broader signal is that even sanctioned trade can stall when both governments treat AI hardware as strategic infrastructure. Watch for any confirmed shipment, or for Beijing to soften or formalize its guidance to the approved buyers.
Read full article at reuters.com