Green light for the export of Nvidia chips to China, the conditions imposed by the USA

The Trump administration has formalized the green light for the resumption of shipments of Nvidia’s H200 chips to Chinaimposing a series of operating and safety conditions. The new rules, released Tuesday by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), provide that Nvidia must certify the existence of a “sufficient” availability of H200 for the US market before being able to export. Chinese customers, in turn, must demonstrate adequate security procedures and pledge not to use the semiconductors per military purposes. A process for verifying the identity of buyers and measures to prevent unauthorized remote access via the cloud to the chips is also required.

The move comes after months of de facto blockade of exportswhich started in April, with a direct impact on Nvidia business in the world’s second largest market and on Chinese companies aiming to use H200s to train models artificial intelligence. The operation also incorporates an unusual element: Washington will collect a share equal to 25% of salesdescribed as a “fee” linked to the political agreement that unlocked the licenses. In the text circulated in the last few hours, the logic is to apply the levy “like a duty”, with a shipping route that involves the return of the chips, produced at Taiwanin the United States before export to China.

Technical conditions and quantitative limits

On a technical level, the shipments will be subordinated to tests conducted by a third party laboratory in the United States, called to verify that the products comply with certain performance parameters. In the regulatory draft, cited by Reuters, there also appears a quantitative limit: China could not receive more than 50% of the chips sold to American customers.

Nvidia reaction and political controversies

Nvidia, in statements reported by the media, welcomed the change of coursearguing that the picture balances industrial interests and security and which allows the company to compete even in the markets where they advance Chinese rivals. On the domestic political front, the decision remains contested. Critics argue that the new conditions highlight the security risks and which, if strictly applied, could end up slowing down or blocking authorizations. The White House line, according to reconstructions, aims to maintain a presence on the Chinese market with hardware considered inferior compared to Nvidia’s most advanced platforms: theH200 is indicated as one step below i Blackwellwhich remain outside the scope of sales to China.

Beijing’s position and domestic demand

From Beijing, the official reaction is opposition to the US approach. Beijing, writes the BBC, has criticized the US restrictions on chipscalling them a politicization of tech trade and accusing Washington of destabilizing the supply chains. On a practical level, however, there remains an unknown on the question: according to The Information, the Chinese authorities are pushing the big tech to privilege domestic chips and, in some cases, to evaluate H200s only in specific circumstances (laboratories, universities, research). In parallel, in recent days rumors have circulated about pressure to reduce purchases of chip Nvidia “China-bound” in favor of local alternativeswhile some Chinese companies claim progress on training models with domestically produced hardware.