Powerful Nvidia AI chip not yet sold in China, says US official

A high-end Nvidia chip that can train and run artificial intelligence systems has not yet been sold to Chinese companies despite softened export restrictions, a US commerce official said Tuesday.

The H200 chip had until recently been barred from sale in China by Washington over national security concerns.

US President Donald Trump said in December he had reached an agreement with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to ease the restrictions, a move some lawmakers have warned could help the Chinese military.

When asked by the House Foreign Affairs Committee how many H200 chips had been sold to Chinese end-users, commerce department export enforcement official David Peters said: “My understanding is that so far none have been sold.”

The H200 deal, under which the US government gets a 25 percent cut of sales, was confirmed by the commerce department in January.

But conditions imposed on their sale have reportedly made it difficult for shipments to be approved.

Beijing is ramping up domestic chip development and production in a bid to rival the industry-leading designs of California-based Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company.

Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Its boss Jensen Huang told reporters last month that “the actual license for H200 is being finalized,” adding that he hoped the Chinese government would allow their sale.

“We’re looking forward to returning to China so that we can compete in the market. They have many very strong chip companies, and so we have to compete quite vigorously,” Huang said.

Nvidia’s most top-of-the-range chips, the Blackwell and forthcoming Rubin series, remain banned for sale in China and were not included in the H200 agreement.