US officials are having early discussions on whether to let Nvidia sell its H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, according to people familiar with the matter, a contentious potential move that would mark a major win for the world’s most valuable company.
US President Donald Trump’s team has held internal talks about H200 chip shipments to the Asian country in recent days, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss a highly sensitive matter.
No final decision has been made, the people emphasised, and it is entirely possible that the idea remains an internal debate and never results in actual licence approvals, which are required under export controls that Washington first imposed in 2022.
Still, the fact that H200 shipments are being considered is a major departure from the Trump administration’s earlier public stances on semiconductor export controls.
It also would represent a concession to Beijing that would almost certainly draw widespread opposition from China hawks in Washington.
Nvidia shares climbed to a session high on the news on Friday. They gained as much as 2 per cent to US$184.29 following earlier declines.
