Overview
- Chinese customs are holding H200 imports, with resellers reporting inquiries for illicit supply at roughly 50% above official prices and no clear timeline for approvals.
- The House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced the AI Overwatch Act in a 42–2 vote, proposing a 30‑day congressional review to block export licenses and a temporary halt that would revoke existing approvals until a national security strategy is submitted.
- Taiwanese server maker Inventec said H200 units appear “stuck on the China side,” while some component suppliers paused lines to avoid unsold inventory as uncertainty deepens.
- The administration’s approach relies on case‑by‑case licensing and a reported 25% tariff on eligible sales, with conditions meant to avoid disadvantaging U.S. customers despite the H200’s strong performance for AI work.
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang plans a late‑January China visit as the company tries to reopen market access, even as White House adviser David Sacks opposes added congressional oversight and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei warns the sales would be a mistake.