Small batches of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips have reached mainland China despite U.S. export restrictions, according to a report by the Financial Times. ByteDance and Tencent each received roughly 10,000 processors in recent weeks, while additional Chinese technology firms may secure similar shipments soon.
The shipments were approved under U.S. regulations that permit Chinese companies to purchase up to 100,000 H200 chips each. However, Beijing has directed local firms to keep the hardware outside mainland China to bolster domestic semiconductor development. Chinese regulators have instructed companies to route the processors through Hong Kong, which operates under a separate customs regime from the mainland.
The report follows statements last month from a senior U.S. official to Congress, confirming that a limited number of H200 chips had been shipped to China. Nvidia’s H200, one of the company’s most advanced AI accelerators, remains subject to stringent U.S. export controls aimed at limiting China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology.
