Overview
- President Donald Trump said Nvidia may ship H200 AI chips to approved customers in China in return for a 25% payment to the U.S. government.
- The approval excludes Nvidia’s most advanced Blackwell and Rubin lines and is expected to cover similar chips from AMD and Intel under the same terms.
- Commerce is drafting procedures that, according to reports, would route H200s from Taiwanese fabs to the U.S. for Bureau of Industry and Security inspection, where the 25% would be collected before re‑export.
- Nvidia praised the decision as a thoughtful balance, while bipartisan lawmakers raised national‑security concerns and pushed for measures that could restore tighter export limits.
- Whether China will buy remains unclear after Beijing discouraged H20 purchases, with reports indicating potential new Chinese approvals for H200 buyers and ongoing U.S. actions against illegal chip smuggling networks.