Nvidia's H200 AI chip sales to China stalled by US security review despite initial approvals
18 Sources
[1]
Report: China approves import of high-end Nvidia AI chips after weeks of uncertainty
On Wednesday, China approved imports of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence chips for three of its largest technology companies, Reuters reported. ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent received approval to purchase more than 400,000 H200 chips in total, marking a shift in Beijing's stance after weeks
[2]
Nvidia's Campaign to Sell AI Chips to China Finally Pays Off
Jensen Huang sure seems to be having a lot of fun in China this week. The Nvidia CEO has been spotted going for a leisurely bike ride and browsing a fresh fruit stand in Shanghai, as well as enjoying beef hot pot at a humble restaurant in Shenzhen. The carefree tour is not just good optics. Huang
[3]
Nvidia AI chip sales to China stalled by US security review, FT reports
Feb 3 (Reuters) - Nvidia's (NVDA.O), opens new tab H200 AI chip sales to China remain in limbo nearly two months after U.S. President Donald Trump approved exports, pending a U.S. national security review, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the
[4]
Nvidia AI chip sales to China stalled by U.S. security review, FT reports
Nvidia's H200 AI chip sales to China remain in limbo nearly two months after U.S. President Donald Trump approved exports, pending a U.S. national security review, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the discussions. Chinese customers are, meanwhile, not placing
[5]
DeepSeek reportedly gets China's approval to buy NVIDIA's H200 AI chips
The Chinese government has given DeepSeek its approval to purchase NVIDIA's H200 AI chips, according to Reuters. ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent have also reportedly received permission from Beijing to buy a total of 400,000 H200 GPUs. Reuters says Chinese authorities are still finalizing the
[6]
DeepSeek has reportedly been given conditional approval by the Chinese government to buy Nvidia's AI GPUs
If true, China's top AI startup may be about to receive some serious hardware horsepower. According to Reuters, two people "familiar with the matter" have said that the Chinese government has given approval for its top AI startup, DeepSeek, to buy Nvidia's H200 AI GPUs, with regulatory conditions
[7]
Trump greenlights H200 AI chip sales to China with 25% revenue cut
President Donald Trump announced in early December 2025 that Nvidia could export its H200 artificial intelligence chips to approved customers in China under conditions preserving U.S. national security, but sales stalled nearly two months later amid U.S. and Chinese government reviews. Trump
[8]
Nvidia's Plans to Sell More Chips in China Just Cleared a Major Hurdle
The Trump administration gave the green light to Nvidia to sell the chips late last year for a 25% cut of revenues. America's AI chip leader Nvidia is getting closer to being able to sell more chips in China. China's government has given clearance to a few big tech companies in the country
[9]
Nvidia AI chip sales to China stalled by US security review: Report - The Economic Times
Chinese customers are, meanwhile, not placing H200 chip orders with Nvidia until it becomes clear whether they will be able to secure the licences or what conditions will be attached, the report said.Nvidia's H200 AI chip sales to China remain in limbo nearly two months after U.S. President
[10]
Nvidia's H200 Chip Sales To China Await State Department Approval Despite Trump's December Go-Ahead: Report - NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Trump Approved Nvidia's H200 China Chip Sales -- But State Department Review Is Holding Things Up: Report Despite President Donald Trump's approval of Nvidia Corp.'s (NASDAQ:NVDA) export of H200 chips to China, the sales are reportedly still pending final clearance from the U.S. government. State
[11]
Chinese AI Giants Are Now Getting the "Green Light" to Buy NVIDIA's H200 AI Chips, as Jensen's Diplomatic Gamble Begins to Bear Fruit
Major Chinese AI labs and hyperscalers are now obtaining the required license to purchase NVIDIA's H200 AI chips, indicating that Jensen's recent visit to Beijing has borne fruit. NVIDIA has been in a desperate pursuit to get back into China's AI market, as mounting competition from domestic AI
[12]
China approves DeepSeek and others buying more than 400.000 Nvidia H200 flagship AI GPU's
While some may point out the strange decision to sell 400.000 of the world's most powerful AI chips to a country regarded as a potential enemy of the USA the US government has surprisingly not been the bottleneck in the deal but the Chinese administration. According to Reuters who claim to have
[13]
China conditionally approves DeepSeek to buy Nvidia's H200 chips, say sources
Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing sources, that ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent had been given permission to purchase more than 400,000 H200 chips in total. China has given its top AI startup DeepSeek approval to buy Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence chips with regulatory conditions that
[14]
DeepSeek Turns Nvidia Customer As China Approves H200 Chip Purchases: Report - Alibaba Gr Hldgs (NYSE:BABA), NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)
DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup that sparked fears of shrinking demand for Nvidia Corp's (NASDAQ:NVDA) top-tier chips, is now reportedly seeking to buy those very processors. China Reportedly Clears DeepSeek To Buy Nvidia Chips China has approved DeepSeek to purchase Nvidia's H200 artificial
[15]
China approves DeepSeek Nvidia chip purchase with conditions
Image: Getty Images China has given its top AI startup DeepSeek approval to buy Nvidia's NVDA.O H200 artificial intelligence chips with regulatory conditions that are still being finalised, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing sources, that
[16]
China Gives Nod To Import First Batch Of Nvidia's H200 AI Chips: Report - NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)
China has reportedly given the green light for the first batch of Nvidia Corporation's (NASDAQ:NVDA) H200 artificial intelligence chips to be imported into the country. Initial approvals were mainly granted to three major Chinese internet firms, while other companies await later clearances; the
[17]
China conditionally approves DeepSeek to buy Nvidia's H200 chips - sources
SINGAPORE, Jan 30 (Reuters) - China has given its top AI startup DeepSeek approval to buy Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence chips with regulatory conditions that are still being finalised, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing sources, that
[18]
China clears first NVIDIA H200 AI chips for import: sources
STORY: China has approved its first batch of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence chips for import. That's according to Reuters sources familiar with the matter. It's a notable shift as Beijing tries to balance its AI development needs with support for its domestic semiconductor industry. ::
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China approved imports of Nvidia's H200 AI chips for ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent in January, totaling over 400,000 units. But nearly two months later, sales remain frozen as the US State Department pushes for tougher restrictions. Chinese customers aren't placing orders until licensing conditions become clear.
Nvidia AI Chips Face Export Limbo Despite Dual Approvals
Nvidia's H200 AI chips remain caught in regulatory crossfire nearly two months after initial export clearance, with AI chip sales to China frozen by an ongoing US security review
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. While China approved imports of Nvidia's H200 AI chips for ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent in January—totaling more than 400,000 units—Chinese tech companies have yet to place actual orders as they await clarity on licensing conditions1
5
. The Commerce Department completed its analysis, but the State Department is pushing for tougher restrictions to prevent China from using the advanced AI chips in ways that could undermine US national security3
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Source: GameReactor
Policy Whiplash Creates Strategic Uncertainty
The stalled exports highlight dramatic policy shifts between administrations. Under Biden, the US sharply tightened export curbs on high-end AI chips, barring models like the H200 from Chinese customers due to national security concerns
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. But in January, the Commerce Department eased restrictions, requiring license applications to be reviewed by the departments of State, Defense and Energy3
. This reversal followed lobbying by Jensen Huang and White House AI czar David Sacks, who argued that allowing China access to some American chips was better than ceding the market entirely to Chinese chipmakers2
. White House officials also justified the shift by pointing to continued smuggling of advanced chips into China, arguing that regulated sales provide better visibility than an opaque gray market2
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Source: Wccftech
Why Chinese Tech Companies Need the H200
The H200, Nvidia's second most powerful AI chip after the B200, delivers roughly six times the performance of the H20 chip that was previously the most capable model Nvidia could sell to China
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. Chinese tech companies want access to these higher-powered processors because they dramatically speed up training large AI models—a computationally intensive task that requires feeding data through neural networks millions of times1
. More capable chips allow companies to train larger models faster or run more AI queries at lower cost. While Chinese companies like Huawei now have products rivaling the H20's performance, they still lag far behind the H2001
. DeepSeek also reportedly received China's approval to purchase H200 units, though licensing conditions remain under finalization5
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Beijing's Strategic Balancing Act
China's approval signals its prioritization of major Internet companies spending billions to build data centers needed to compete with US rivals including OpenAI
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. But regulators are simultaneously trying to nurture China's domestic semiconductor industry by keeping tight control over who gets GPU access2
. The first batch was expected to go to Big Tech companies in urgent need, while access for state-backed firms including telecom operators was expected to stay tightly restricted1
. By allowing domestic companies to buy H200 chips in limited quantities, Beijing achieves two goals: providing compute for training powerful AI models while ensuring demand for Huawei chips remains high2
. China's National Development and Reform Commission is determining the conditions companies must meet to proceed with purchases5
.What This Means for the AI Race
The back-and-forth reveals deeper tensions in the AI race between Washington and Beijing, with US policymakers caught between boosting sales for American semiconductor companies and fearing exports could help China close the capability gap
1
. Experts warn the policy whiplash may be counterproductive. "The worst possible thing we can do is just go back and forth," says Samuel Bresnick from Georgetown's Center for Security and Emerging Technology, noting that mixed signals have given China the imperative to develop domestic chips while also providing access to American technology2
. Jensen Huang told reporters last week he hopes China will allow sales and that licenses are being finalized, though Nvidia has yet to receive orders from the approved companies5
3
. The approvals came during Huang's visit to China, where he was spotted cycling in Shanghai and dining in Shenzhen2
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Source: Ars Technica
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