Nvidia H200s still blocked
- Nvidia has not yet shipped its H200 AI chips to Chinese customers despite U.S. approvals earlier this year. - The delay stems from Chinese firms failing to obtain their own government's permission to receive the chips. - The pause highlights how export approvals and domestic industrial policy together can block commercial flows, adding execution risk to sales forecasts (reuters.com).
Nvidia still has not shipped H200 artificial intelligence chips to Chinese customers, even after Washington cleared the sales in January. (usnews.com) U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told a Senate hearing on April 22 that Chinese companies have not received the chips because Beijing has not yet let them buy them. He said China’s central government is steering investment toward domestic suppliers instead. (usnews.com) The Trump administration gave formal approval in January 2026 for H200 exports to China under conditions, but Reuters said shipments were later stalled by disputes over sales terms in both the United States and China. (usnews.com) The H200 is one of Nvidia’s most powerful chips for training and running artificial intelligence models in data centers. China’s government has treated access to those chips as part of a broader push to build up local semiconductor and artificial intelligence companies. (usnews.com) That leaves Nvidia caught between two approval systems. A U.S. export license can permit a shipment, but a Chinese customer may still need Beijing’s signoff before the order turns into a delivery. (usnews.com) Reuters reported on March 17 that Nvidia had won Beijing’s approval to sell H200 chips to China and was preparing a China version of the Groq artificial intelligence chip. That report said the market had once generated 13% of Nvidia’s total revenue. (usnews.com) Nvidia’s latest annual report shows fiscal 2026 revenue of $215.9 billion, underscoring why China remains commercially important even after export controls reshaped the business. (nvidia.com) Lutnick also said on April 22 that the administration had not yet restored the “affiliates rule,” a delayed regulation that would restrict shipments of advanced U.S. technology to thousands of Chinese companies. He said the rule remained tied to a broader trade agreement with China. (usnews.com) For now, the result is simple: Nvidia has permission from Washington to sell H200s into China, but no chips have moved because Beijing has not let Chinese buyers complete the purchase. (usnews.com)
