Nvidia, the world’s most valuable chipmaker, is quietly developing a new artificial intelligence chip for the Chinese market that complies with U.S. export restrictions but remains more advanced than products currently approved for sale.
According to Reuters, sources familiar with the matter say the chip, codenamed B30A, will be half as powerful as Nvidia’s flagship B300 Blackwell GPU but significantly stronger than the H20 GPU, the most advanced model the company can presently sell in China. Unlike the B300’s dual-die design, the B30A will feature a single-die build, though it will retain high-performance features like NVLink support, fast data transmission, and high-bandwidth memory.
The effort reflects Nvidia’s determination to maintain a foothold in China’s lucrative AI market despite escalating U.S.-China tensions. The company confirmed in a statement that it continuously evaluates product roadmaps “to be prepared to compete to the extent governments allow,” emphasizing that all exports comply with U.S. authority approvals.
The Biden administration has tightened restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports to China to prevent Beijing from using cutting-edge chips for military applications and surveillance technologies. At the same time, industry leaders warn that pulling back too far could cede market dominance to state-backed rivals like Huawei.
The development of the B30A comes alongside a broader agreement between U.S. chipmakers and the Trump administration. As Breitbart News recently reported, Nvidia and AMD have been required to share 15 percent of their China-based revenues with the U.S. government in exchange for export licenses. Nvidia agreed to the deal for its H20 sales, while AMD accepted similar terms for its MI308 chip.
Critics of U.S. export restrictions argue that by limiting Nvidia’s ability to sell its most powerful chips abroad, Washington is slowing American companies while giving competitors time to catch up. Supporters counter that keeping the most advanced hardware out of China’s hands is critical to national security and maintaining U.S. technological leadership.
With AI seen as the driving force of the next technological revolution, Nvidia’s balancing act between political compliance and market access underscores the growing entanglement of geopolitics and innovation.
