Overview

• The U.S. Commerce Department started issuing export licenses for Nvidia’s H20 chips to China, reversing an April ban that had threatened up to $8 billion in sales.
• The policy shift followed Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s White House meeting with President Trump and the Commerce Department’s reconsideration of Biden-era AI chip controls.
• China’s Cyberspace Administration summoned Nvidia on July 31 to explain alleged hardware backdoors that could enable remote access or shutdowns.
• State media outlets, including People’s Daily and a CCTV-affiliated WeChat account, publicly questioned the H20’s security, performance and environmental credentials.
• Nvidia maintains the H20 chips contain no backdoors, but continued scrutiny highlights the broader U.S.–China struggle for semiconductor dominance.