Nvidia’s H200 is a much more advanced chip than the custom H20 that the company was allowed to export to China earlier, with the newer Blackwell chips being only about 1.5 times faster, Reuters notes.
The H20 chips were recently banned in China, where the authorities instead opted for Huawei chips for data center supplies.
The fate of the H200 would therefore remain in some doubt, but China’s Xi Jinping «responded positively» to the news, according to Trump’s Truth Social post.
— Offering H200 to approved commercial customers, vetted by the Department of Commerce, strikes a thoughtful balance that is great for America, said Nvidia, according to Reuters.
This should settle the debate for now about how to deal with China’s AI demand; whether the U.S. should sell pared down chips, powerful chips — or no chips at all, leaving the market to domestic suppliers that might get more advanced and outcompete American producers.
The same deal will be offered regarding chips from AMD, Intel and other U.S. chip manufacturers.
Read more: Trump’s social media post, writeups on Reuters, CNBC, The Hill, BBC.