Nvidia export approvals stall
Approvals for Nvidia and AMD AI‑chip exports to China are stalling because of staffing shortfalls at the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security, delaying shipments even where permission in principle exists. Reports say the bottleneck is holding up specific approvals and could be responsible for billions in paused sales. (startupnews.fyi, xataka.com)
U.S. approvals for Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices artificial intelligence chip exports to China are bogging down inside the Commerce Department, turning granted policy openings into shipment delays. (finance.yahoo.com) Bloomberg reported on April 14 that staffing at the Bureau of Industry and Security, the office that reviews these exports, has fallen sharply over the past year and pushed license decisions from weeks into months. The report said the bureau has lost nearly 20% of its staff and that reviews of some chip applications are running about 25% slower. (finance.yahoo.com) The slowdown hits two companies that were already navigating tighter rules. Nvidia disclosed on April 9, 2025, that Washington had imposed a license requirement on its H20 chip for China, Hong Kong, Macau and other covered destinations, and said the move could force up to $5.5 billion in charges. (sec.gov) Advanced Micro Devices said on April 15, 2025, that the same U.S. export control applies to its MI308 products. The company said it expects to seek licenses and warned the restriction could lead to charges of up to $800 million. (sec.gov) Those filings mattered because the White House had moved in the opposite direction for some newer chips. On January 13, 2026, the Bureau of Industry and Security said it would review exports of Nvidia H200, Advanced Micro Devices MI325X and similar chips to China on a case-by-case basis if applicants met security conditions. (bis.gov) That rule created a narrow path for sales, not a blanket green light. Applicants must show the shipment will not cut into supply for U.S. customers, that the Chinese buyer has compliance procedures, and that the product passed independent testing in the United States. (bis.gov) The bottleneck is showing up in an agency that was already handling a large export-control workload before the latest China chip cases piled up. The Bureau of Industry and Security said it processed 37,943 license applications in fiscal 2023 with an average processing time of 38 days. (bis.gov) Bloomberg’s April 14 report said average turnaround had stretched to 76 days in the first half of 2025, with some applications taking months and senior-level signoffs adding to the queue. The practical result is that chipmakers can have a policy pathway on paper and still wait for the paperwork that lets a shipment leave. (finance.yahoo.com)
