Trump Clears Limited Nvidia H200 Sales to China With 25% U.S. Take

Overview

• Nvidia may ship H200 GPUs to approved customers in China, with the Commerce Department now drafting the implementation details and a similar approach signaled for AMD and Intel.
• Trump said he informed Xi Jinping of the decision and described a positive response, though China has not explicitly confirmed acceptance of the arrangement.
• The authorization excludes Nvidia’s newest Blackwell chips and the forthcoming Rubin line, preserving a ban on the most advanced U.S. AI processors.
• The Institute for Progress reports the H200 is roughly six times more capable than the previously exportable H20, raising questions about how much capability Chinese AI labs could gain.
• On the same day, the U.S. Justice Department announced arrests tied to an alleged scheme to smuggle $160 million in Nvidia H100 and H200 chips to China, underscoring ongoing enforcement risks.