US Commerce Department Set to Authorize Nvidia H200 AI Chip Exports to China Despite Previous Restrictions
Summary
The US Commerce Department prepares to authorize Nvidia H200 AI chip exports to China, dramatically reversing previous restrictions on advanced processors, though Beijing may reject the offering as it shifts toward domestic AI hardware development.
Key Points
- The US Department of Commerce prepares to authorize Nvidia H200 AI GPU exports to China, significantly easing previous restrictions on the full Hopper AI processor
- The H200 features 144GB of HBM3 memory and delivers substantially better performance than the restricted H20 model, though it remains years behind Nvidia's latest Blackwell GPUs
- China's acceptance remains uncertain as Beijing previously rejected the weaker H20 for political reasons and now prioritizes domestic AI hardware development over US technology dependence