According to a report via the South China Morning Post, the American government has officially approved the sale of Nvidia’s second-most-advanced AI processor to Chinese companies. The only stipulation from the U.S. is that the chipmaker is required to certify there is no domestic shortage of H200 chips.
The Commerce Department is tasked with reviewing applications for the export of the chips to China on a case-by-case basis.
The newspaper, citing the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, noted shipments of the chip to China can account for no more than 50 per cent of the total made for the US market.
Meanwhile, China clarified its stance on H200 imports, setting new conditions for companies wanting to buy the chips, with approval granted only under special circumstances.
Deliberately vague
Founder of industry blog Radio Free Mobile Richard Windsor wrote in a post the directive “is deliberately vague”, suggesting “the broader understanding is H200s will be allowed for things like university research”.
Despite various restrictions, Windsor stated China is progressing as fast as it can towards complete technological independence.
He believes China will import chips for the sole purpose of furthering “indigenisation and technological independence”, which is exactly what the US is trying to slow or prevent.
Various industry voices in China also have warned of cybersecurity concerns.
Alibaba and TikTok-parent ByteDance are reportedly among the companies keen to place large orders of the H200.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Nvidia
