China chip approvals stall
Approvals for Nvidia and AMD AI chip exports to China have slowed because the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security lost nearly 20% of its licensing staff, with senior officials reportedly signing off on most licences personally. (tomshardware.com) The filing delays amplify administrative unpredictability for companies planning hardware and deployment in China. (tomshardware.com)
U.S. approvals for Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices artificial intelligence chip exports to China are stretching into months as the export-control office loses staff and centralizes sign-offs. (bloomberg.com) Bloomberg reported on April 10 that the Bureau of Industry and Security has lost dozens of experienced employees over the past year, amounting to nearly 20% turnover in its rulemaking and licensing teams. The same report said senior officials are personally reviewing many licenses, slowing routine approvals. (bloomberg.com) The bureau sits inside the Commerce Department and decides whether sensitive U.S. goods can be shipped abroad. In fiscal 2023, it processed 37,943 license applications, approved 32,365, returned 4,998 without action, and denied 580. (bis.gov) The backlog has hit chipmakers just as Washington reopened a narrow legal path for some China sales. A Bureau of Industry and Security rule published January 15, 2026 changed certain advanced semiconductor exports to China and Macau from a presumption of denial to case-by-case review. (federalregister.gov) The Commerce Department said that January rule applies to Nvidia H200, Advanced Micro Devices MI325X, and similar chips if exporters meet security and supply conditions. Those conditions include third-party testing in the United States and certifications about domestic supply and foundry capacity. (bis.gov) That change followed an earlier easing for Nvidia’s China-specific H20 chip. A U.S. official told Reuters in August 2025 that the department had started issuing licenses for H20 exports after reversing an April 2025 ban. (channelnewsasia.com) For Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, the problem is no longer only whether a shipment is allowed on paper. It is also whether the government can process the paperwork fast enough for customers planning server builds, cloud capacity, and data-center deployments. (msn.com) The delays reach beyond China. Bloomberg said approvals for other exporters and even some shipments to U.S. allies are also taking longer, leaving billions of dollars in goods stuck in licensing queues. (bloomberg.com) The bottleneck leaves the January policy shift only partly realized: the rules now permit more case-by-case reviews, but the office that must issue those decisions is processing them more slowly than before. (federalregister.gov, bloomberg.com)
