Overview
- President Trump said approved Chinese buyers can receive Nvidia’s H200 under a plan that pays 25% of sales to the U.S., with the Commerce Department finalizing rules and similar terms expected for AMD and Intel.
- Nvidia’s newest Blackwell and upcoming Rubin lines remain barred from China, while the H200 is estimated to be roughly six times more capable than the previously permitted H20, according to the Institute for Progress.
- The Justice Department announced arrests and seizures under Operation Gatekeeper for schemes that trafficked controlled Nvidia GPUs, including H100 and H200, to China and other restricted destinations.
- Reporting from the Financial Times and South China Morning Post indicates China will require buyers to secure approvals and justify the lack of domestic alternatives, signaling tightly limited access despite Washington’s authorization.
- Nvidia welcomed the move after months of lobbying by CEO Jensen Huang, though some legal commentators questioned the revenue-sharing mechanism’s legality, and the stock rose after hours before easing in regular trading.