Powerful Nvidia AI Chips Are Already In China: Here’s How – SlashGear

On December 8, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Nvidia would be granted permission to sell its powerful H200 artificial intelligence processor to China subject to a 25% export tax. But according to an investigative report from Reuters, the hardware has already found its way to plenty of machines in China. Universities, technological research labs, and data center operators have all managed to purchase the chips through various gray-market channels ahead of its legal availability.

Reuters looked at dozens of documents that revealed that Chinese buyers have been integrating Nvidia’s second-most powerful AI chip into large-language models, advanced research, and more. It’s hardly a secret, either: One Beijing university professor said unashamedly that his lab had eight H200 chips to support AI model development. Publicizing that they have cutting-edge AI tech on hand helps academic institutions in China recruit new talent, creating a sort of university arms race. Exactly how the…