By Zijing Wu,Demetri Sevastopulo,Michael Acton
Publication Date: 2026-02-04 03:14:00
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Nvidia’s sales of H200 AI chips to China are still awaiting final approval from Washington nearly two months after Donald Trump greenlit exports, as the US government conducts a national security review before granting licences to Chinese customers.
Chinese customers are meanwhile not placing H200 chip orders with Nvidia until it becomes clear whether they will be able to secure the licences or what conditions will be attached, people familiar with the discussions told the FT.
In December, chief executive Jensen Huang brokered a breakthrough deal with the US president that raised hopes Nvidia could soon return to a market that Huang has said could be worth $50bn a year.
Nvidia had directed its supply chain to increase production of H200 chips in expectation of “very high” demand from customers in China.
But the implementation of that deal has become bogged down. Some suppliers have since paused production of key H200 components as Washington and Beijing take their time to approve sales.
When Trump agreed to allow Nvidia to export H200 chips to China, he told his administration to conduct a national security review to ensure that appropriate conditions were attached to export licences.
In January, the commerce department issued a regulation that loosened restrictions on the export of the H200 to China but required the US departments of…
