U.S. Imposes 25% Tariff and U.S. Testing Route on China‑Bound Nvidia H200 Chips

Overview

• The Commerce Department’s BIS shifted to case‑by‑case approvals for H200 exports, requiring unit‑by‑unit lab testing, buyer security procedures, Nvidia certification of sufficient U.S. supply, and a cap limiting China to less than half the volume sold to U.S. customers.
• A presidential proclamation under Section 232 levies a 25% duty on select advanced chips, including Nvidia’s H200 and AMD’s MI325X, with exemptions for devices imported for U.S. data centers, startups, civilian industrial uses outside data centers, and public‑sector applications.
• China‑destined H200 shipments must pass through the United States for third‑party testing, triggering the 25% tariff before final export to Chinese buyers.
• Nvidia said it is not requiring Chinese customers to prepay for H200 orders and stated it would never ask customers to pay for products they do not receive.
• A separate U.S.–Taiwan agreement cuts tariffs on Taiwanese goods to 15% and secures up to $500 billion in financing and large investment commitments to expand U.S. chip manufacturing, with tariff relief structured for firms building new fabs in the United States.