US Clears H200 Chip Sales to 10 China Firms as Nvidia CEO Looks for Breakthrough
The United States has approved export licenses allowing Nvidia’s H200 artificial intelligence chips to be sold to around 10 Chinese companies, marking a cautious step forward in ongoing efforts to ease tensions over advanced semiconductor trade between the world’s two largest economies.
The approved buyers reportedly include major Chinese technology groups such as Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, JD.com, Lenovo, and Foxconn, according to sources familiar with the matter. Under the licensing framework, each approved customer may purchase large quantities of the H200 chip, though no deliveries have yet taken place.
Despite the green light from Washington, the deal remains effectively stalled due to regulatory uncertainty and Beijing’s cautious stance, with Chinese firms reportedly waiting for further guidance on procurement conditions and compliance requirements.
The development comes as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang accompanies US President Donald Trump on a high-profile visit to Beijing, where discussions are expected to focus on trade, technology restrictions, and artificial intelligence cooperation. The trip is widely seen as an attempt to unlock a long-stalled breakthrough in US–China tech relations.
Analysts say the partial approval reflects a delicate balancing act by Washington: maintaining strict export controls on cutting-edge AI technology while still allowing limited commercial access for Chinese firms under controlled conditions.
China, the world’s largest importer of semiconductors and a key market for Nvidia, has been increasingly pushing for domestic alternatives, adding further uncertainty to whether approved sales will translate into actual shipments or revenue in the near term.
