The BRICS TimesWashington has cleared Nvidia’s second-most powerful AI chip the H200 for sale to around ten Chinese companies. Yet the deal remains frozen mid-air, with zero deliveries made so far, leaving one of the biggest tech transactions of the year in limbo.
Washington Opens the Door But the Chips Don’t Move
The US government has approved sales of Nvidia’s H200 artificial intelligence chips to roughly ten Chinese companies. However, not a single shipment has gone through yet leaving a massive technology deal hanging in uncertainty.
Three people familiar with the matter confirmed the situation. “The US has allowed around ten Chinese firms to purchase Nvidia’s second-most powerful AI chip, the H200 but no deliveries have taken place so far,” they said, adding that this has left a major technology deal in a state of suspension.
Jensen Huang Travels With Trump to China
Against this backdrop, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is accompanying US President Donald Trump on his current trip to China. The timing raises eyebrows and signals that AI chip trade is firmly on the diplomatic agenda between Washington and Beijing.
Regulatory Hurdles From Both Sides
Back in March, Nvidia had reportedly secured approval from Chinese authorities to sell H200 graphics processors in China. The company was also said to be preparing a China-adapted version of the Groq chip for that market.
Before that, chip shipments faced a double blockade US export restrictions on one side and delayed import approvals from Chinese regulators on the other. Reports from early spring indicated that Nvidia had temporarily paused H200 chip production meant for the Chinese market precisely because of these regulatory barriers on both ends.
About Nvidia
Nvidia the Santa Clara, California-based graphics processor giant was founded in 1999. Beyond chips, the company is a major force in artificial intelligence development and research.
