The Trump administration is contemplating approval for the sale of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips to China, according to sources familiar with the matter. This potential move comes amid improving bilateral relations that have heightened hopes for increased exports of advanced U.S. technology to China. The Commerce Department, responsible for overseeing export controls, is currently reviewing a policy change that would lift restrictions on such sales, though plans remain flexible.
A White House official declined to comment specifically but emphasized the administration’s focus on maintaining America’s leadership in global technology and safeguarding national security. Nvidia has not publicly addressed the review but noted that existing regulations prevent the company from offering a competitive AI data center chip in China, leaving that substantial market to its foreign competitors.
This development signals a shift toward a more conciliatory stance toward China, especially following a trade and technology truce brokered last month in Busan between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Nonetheless, some Washington policymakers remain wary, fearing that supplying China with advanced AI chips could bolster Beijing’s military capabilities. This concern has historically led the Biden administration to impose export limits on certain high-tech commodities.
In response to Beijing’s aggressive use of export controls on rare earth minerals crucial for tech manufacturing, Trump threatened new restrictions earlier this year but largely suspended them later. The Nvidia H200, introduced two years ago, boasts greater high-bandwidth memory than its predecessor, the H100, enabling faster data processing. Estimated to be twice as powerful as Nvidia’s H20 chip, currently the most advanced AI semiconductor legally exportable to China, the H200’s potential sale would mark a significant technological development.
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Recently, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang attended a White House event during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit, underscoring Nvidia’s international engagement. The Commerce Department also approved shipments of up to 70,000 Nvidia Blackwell chips—its next-generation AI hardware to Saudi Arabia’s Humain and the UAE’s G42, highlighting ongoing global chip trade developments.
