AMD Wins Licenses to Ship MI308 AI Chips to China, Says It Will Pay 15% Fee
Uncertainty persists given legal questions over the fee, tougher U.S. proposals, Beijing’s domestic‑chip rule.
Overview
- CEO Lisa Su said in San Francisco that AMD has approvals for some MI308 exports to China and is prepared to pay the 15% charge to the U.S. government.
- AMD left projected MI308 China sales out of its Q4 2025 outlook due to unclear timing and conditions for shipments.
- The 15% payment stems from an August arrangement announced by President Trump that permits certain shipments in exchange for the fee.
- Legal experts have questioned whether the fee conflicts with the Constitution’s ban on export taxes, leaving potential challenges unresolved.
- A bipartisan Senate bill seeks tighter limits on advanced chip exports to China as the administration weighs Nvidia’s H200 access and China directs state-funded projects to use domestic AI chips.