US official says few Nvidia H200 chips shipped to China

A senior U.S. Commerce Department official has confirmed that only a minimal number of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence chips have been shipped to China and Hong Kong, despite a policy shift last year that allowed for limited sales. Jeffrey Kessler, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, that the volume of shipments is trivial.

The bottom line is very few shipments against licenses for H200s and equivalents have taken place, Kessler said. It's a very small quantity of chips.

This marks the first confirmed deliveries since former President Donald Trump announced in December 2025 that the United States would permit sales of the H200 processors to select Chinese customers. The Commerce Department subsequently moved to a case-by-case licensing review, with approvals reportedly granted to around ten Chinese firms, including major technology companies like Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance, earlier this year.

However, Kessler emphasized that approvals are not automatic and involve a rigorous review process focused on national security. Applicants must satisfy government requirements and agree to...