Nvidia Plans H200 AI Chip Shipments to China in February

Nvidia Corp. plans to begin shipping its H200 artificial intelligence chips to Chinese customers as early as mid-February, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, according to three people familiar with the matter. The initial deliveries would draw from existing inventory to fulfill orders totaling 5,000 to 10,000 chip modules, equivalent to roughly 40,000 to 80,000 individual H200 chips, pending approval from Chinese authorities.

The shipments would represent the first deliveries of these processors to China since U.S. President Donald Trump announced in December that the administration would permit such sales, subject to a 25 percent fee. This marks a significant departure from the previous administration's policy under President Joe Biden, which imposed a ban on advanced AI chip exports to China in 2022 over national security concerns. The Trump administration has since initiated an interagency review of export license applications to implement the change, aiming to support U.S. manufacturing and generate revenue through the fee.

Nvidia has also informed Chinese clients of intentions to expand production capacity for the H200, with orders for the additional output slated to open...