China has authorized the import of the first batch of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence accelerators, two people with direct knowledge of the decision told Reuters, signaling a shift in Beijing's stance as it weighs immediate AI computing needs against promoting domestic chip development. The approval covers several hundred thousand H200 chips, the sources said, and was granted during a visit to China this week by Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang. The sources requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
According to the people briefed on the matter, the initial round of import clearances has been allocated primarily to three major Chinese internet companies. The sources declined to identify which firms received those first approvals. Other enterprises are reported to be waiting in a queue for follow-on approvals, suggesting a staged approach to authorizing imports.
Requests for comment to China's industry and commerce ministries and to Nvidia had not been answered at the time of publication, the sources said. The lack of official comment means details beyond the number of chips and the timing of the approval - tied to the Nvidia CEO's visit - remain limited in the public record.
The two anonymous sources and the information they provided form the basis of the account of the approvals. They emphasized the sensitivity of the matter by asking not to be named.
Context and implications - The authoring sources described the approval as a first batch covering several hundred thousand H200 units and as primarily allocated to three major internet companies within China. Other companies have been put into a queue for later approvals. There was no official confirmation from the ministries involved or from Nvidia at the time these details were reported.
- Allocation: Initial approvals were directed mainly to three large internet firms.
- Volume: The cleared shipment totals several hundred thousand H200 chips.
- Timing: The approvals were issued during Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's visit to China.
This report is based on information provided by two people familiar with the approvals who spoke on condition of anonymity. It reflects the facts those sources supplied; official statements from the ministries and Nvidia were not available when the information was published.