Nvidia hints at delivering H200 chips to Chinese customers before Chinese New Year.

According to Reuters, multiple sources familiar with the matter revealed that Nvidia has informed its Chinese customers that it plans to deliver its second-highest performing AI chip, the H200, by mid-February next year, before the Lunar New Year.

Two sources stated that Nvidia plans to fulfill the initial orders using existing inventory, with an estimated shipment of 5,000 to 10,000 chip modules, equivalent to approximately 40,000 to 80,000 H200 chips.

The H200 is Nvidia's second-highest performing chip after the Blackwell series, and its export to China was previously prohibited during the Biden administration. On December 8th, US President Trump announced that Nvidia would be allowed to export H200 chips to "approved customers," but this did not include the more advanced Blackwell series or the upcoming Rubin chip.

Reuters previously reported that the US government had initiated an interagency review process to assess license applications for H200 chip exports to China, fulfilling its promise to allow the sale of such chips to China.

However, Reuters also pointed out that the successful delivery of the H200 chips remains highly uncertain, as China has not yet approved any purchase orders for the chip. An Nvidia spokesperson told the Global Times on December 23, "We are continuously managing our supply chain. Selling H200 chips to licensed customers in China in compliance with regulations will not affect our ability to supply customers globally."

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that some White House officials, including Commerce Secretary Rutnick, supported lifting the ban on Nvidia's H200 chip exports to China, believing it could balance the competition between Nvidia and Huawei to some extent, while preventing China from surpassing the US in artificial intelligence. However, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Gregory Meeks publicly demanded that the US Department of Commerce further disclose license information to assess whether "approved Nvidia chips will be used in the military field" and to observe the reactions of US allies and partners.

On December 9, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated at a regular press conference that China has taken note of the relevant developments by the US and reiterated that "China has consistently advocated that China and the US achieve mutual benefit and win-win results through cooperation."

Some industry observers believe that given the rapid rise of domestically produced chips and the continued policy promotion of self-sufficiency, it remains uncertain whether Nvidia can reopen the Chinese market in the short term. In particular, at the end of July this year, the Cyberspace Administration of China summoned Nvidia for talks regarding the security risks of backdoor vulnerabilities in H2O computing chips. Balancing development and security, China may be more inclined to achieve independent breakthroughs in core technologies through technological self-reliance.

Xiang Ligang, chairman of the Zhongguancun Information Consumption Alliance, told the Global Times on the 23rd that the White House hopes to ease the ban to maintain Nvidia's performance expectations and boost the US stock market, while some members of Congress, due to their containment stance towards China, advocate continuing the blockade in the high-tech field. Telecommunications and internet industry expert Ma Jihua pointed out that the US government and Nvidia are eager to return to the Chinese market, both out of concern that they will lose market competitiveness and space due to China's advancements in chip technology, and out of fear that a decline in Nvidia's performance might burst Wall Street's concerns about the AI bubble. Xiang Ligang further stated that China welcomes a more open and cooperative attitude from the US in high-tech exports, but at the same time requires that chips exported to China must ensure safety, environmental protection, and meet the application needs of China's artificial intelligence development. In addition, the US should maintain policy stability and provide Chinese companies with a clearer and more predictable market environment. (Source: Reuters)