Nvidia’s hopes of selling its H200 AI chips to Chinese firms are in limbo as Beijing continues to stall on whether it will permit imports of the U.S. tech giant’s components.
Despite recent meetings with Chinese officials and tech leaders, CEO Jensen Huang confirmed that Nvidia has yet to receive a single order from China for the H200 chip. Speaking in Taipei, Huang said it’s now up to Chinese authorities to approve sales, and the company is “waiting patiently.”
The H200 chip is a previous-generation model, designed to comply with U.S. export regulations while still being useful for AI development. Huang described it as a solid fit for the Chinese market, adding that customers there are eager to gain access. The U.S. government has already given preliminary approval for the H200 to be sold to China, pending a finalized export license.
Chinese regulators have reportedly signaled to major firms like Alibaba that they can prepare orders for Nvidia’s chips — hinting that Beijing is nearing a final decision. Still, that green light hasn’t come, and Nvidia remains stuck in a holding pattern.
The backdrop to this uncertainty is the ongoing global struggle over AI dominance. Nvidia’s chips are considered critical infrastructure for AI models, with global demand surging. But U.S. national security concerns have led to tightening restrictions on high-end AI tech exports to China — a policy that’s been partially relaxed under President Donald Trump’s administration.
That shift hasn’t gone unchallenged. Critics like Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei have blasted the decision to allow chip sales, comparing it to handing nuclear weapons to North Korea. While Nvidia insists that banning exports would only spur China to ramp up its domestic chip industry, concerns remain over where those chips might ultimately end up.
For now, Nvidia sits at the center of a geopolitical chess match — and it’s Beijing’s move.
