By Reuters
Publication Date: 2026-01-14 07:33:00
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Tuesday gave a formal green light to China-bound sales of Nvidia’s second most powerful AI chip, putting in place a rule that is likely to kickstart shipments of the H200 despite deep concerns among China hawks in Washington.
According to the regulations, the chips will be reviewed by a third-party testing lab to confirm their technical AI capabilities before they can be shipped to China, which cannot receive more than 50% of the total amount of chips sold to American customers.
Nvidia will need to certify that there are enough H200s in the U.S., while Chinese customers must demonstrate “sufficient security procedures” and cannot use the chips for military purposes. Those conditions had not been established previously.
In a statement, Nvidia said the move by President Donald Trump “strikes a thoughtful balance that is great for America” and will help the company compete in the global chip market.
“The administration’s critics are unintentionally promoting the interests of foreign competitors on U.S. entity lists — America should always want its industry to compete for vetted and approved commercial business, supporting real jobs for real Americans,” Nvidia said.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump announced last month that he would allow the chip sales in exchange for a 25% fee for the U.S. government. The decision drew fire from China hawks across the U.S….
