Overview
- President Donald Trump authorized shipments of H200 GPUs to approved Chinese customers with a reported 25% payment to the U.S., while Blackwell and Rubin chips remain restricted.
- Reuters reports Nvidia told Chinese clients it is evaluating adding H200 production after requests exceeded current output, with supply constrained by limited runs and competing priorities for newer platforms at TSMC.
- Beijing has not approved imports and convened emergency meetings, with options under discussion including requiring buyers to bundle H200 orders with a set ratio of domestic chips.
- Major Chinese tech firms including Alibaba and ByteDance have contacted Nvidia to place large orders, reflecting strong demand for the most capable chip currently accessible to China.
- Nvidia introduced optional telemetry software that can report chip location and system data without a kill switch, as the company says it has seen no substantiated evidence for reports alleging smuggled Blackwell GPUs in China.