China blocks Nvidia 5090D V2

China has reportedly blocked imports of Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090D V2, a gaming chip built for the Chinese market after U.S. export controls cut off access to more advanced Nvidia processors. The reported move surfaced this week through accounts citing a Financial Times report and Chinese industry sources that said customs authorities would not clear the product for import or sale. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The timing put the decision alongside a broader reset in China’s AI hardware market. Alibaba said on May 20 that it had introduced a new in-house AI chip, the Zhenwu M890, which it said delivers three times the performance of its prior model. (money.usnews.com) Reuters, CNBC and Alibaba statements described the launch as part of a push to build domestic alternatives as Nvidia’s access to China remains constrained. (investor.nvidia.com) The result is a new pressure point for Nvidia in one of the world’s biggest AI markets. Reports said Chinese AI developers had been buying the 5090D V2 because it offered at least limited access to Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture after U.S. restrictions curbed shipments of more capable data-center chips. (finance.yahoo.com) ### Why was a gaming chip caught up in an AI fight? The RTX 5090D V2 was marketed to Chinese gamers and 3D animators, but reports said AI developers were also using it after tighter U.S. controls restricted higher-end Nvidia products. Yahoo Finance, citing the Financial Times, said the chip had been introduced last August to comply with U.S. export rules while still serving China. (money.usnews.com) Tom’s Hardware and other trade outlets said Chinese teams had treated the card as a workaround because it was based on Blackwell-generation technology even though it was not a top-tier AI accelerator. That made a gaming product relevant to AI labs looking for any remaining route into Nvidia’s newest architecture. (finance.yahoo.com) ### What exactly is China reported to have done? Chinese customs authorities were reported to have refused processing or import clearance for the RTX 5090D V2, effectively blocking sales in China. Multiple reports traced that account to motherboard makers and market sources who said the card would not receive the permits needed to enter the market. (finance.yahoo.com) The Financial Times account, as described by follow-on reports, said the product was added to a customs blacklist on May 15, during a visit to Beijing that included U.S. President Donald Trump and Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang. Reuters has not independently confirmed the customs action, and no public Chinese government statement was available in the material reviewed. (msn.com) ### How does Alibaba fit into the same week’s chip news? Alibaba said on May 20 that its new Zhenwu M890 chip delivers three times the performance of the Zhenwu 810E. Reuters reported that the processor was developed by Alibaba’s chip unit T-Head and is aimed at training and inference workloads as Chinese groups expand domestic AI infrastructure. (guru3d.com) The company also said the chip has 144 GB of memory and interchip bandwidth of 800 GB per second. CNBC and Alibaba materials said the launch came with model and cloud updates, adding to Beijing’s broader push for homegrown computing options. ### Which Chinese chipmakers are being pushed as alternatives? (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Tom’s Hardware said commentary around the Nvidia restriction pointed Chinese buyers toward domestic suppliers including Huawei and Cambricon. That matches a wider pattern in which Chinese companies and state-linked buyers have been encouraged to reduce reliance on U.S. AI hardware. (money.usnews.com) Reuters’ reporting on Alibaba’s launch did not mention a formal directive tied to the 5090D V2, but it did place the new chip in the context of tightening U.S. export curbs and China’s effort to build substitutes. (cnbc.com) ### What is the next concrete checkpoint for Nvidia? Nvidia reported first-quarter fiscal 2027 results on May 20 and held its earnings call the same day with Jensen Huang and Colette Kress. The company’s investor relations page lists its next major scheduled corporate event as the June 24, 2026 annual meeting of stockholders. (investor.nvidia.com) (money.usnews.com) (tomshardware.com)