US trade official: "Very few" Nvidia H200 AI chips shipped to China

A top U.S. trade official stated Tuesday that "very few" Nvidia H200 artificial intelligence chips have been shipped to China and Hong Kong. Jeffery Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, described the quantity as "a very small amount of chips" during a congressional hearing.

The remark suggests that H200 shipments to China have resumed, potentially boosting Nvidia's sales further. The company had previously excluded potential Chinese AI chip revenue from its forecasts, with CEO Jensen Huang advising investors to "expect nothing" from that market. Nvidia declined to comment on the matter.

Nvidia has sought to supply its AI chips to China, a major hub for AI development, but has been constrained by U.S. trade restrictions aimed at curbing China's technological advancements. Most of Nvidia's products are currently subject to export controls to China.

While the U.S. government has issued licenses for H200 chip sales to select Chinese firms earlier this year, the H200 is an older model from the Hopper generation. Current U.S. companies are utilizing the faster Blackwell chips. Kessler emphasized that the U.S. reviews license applications on a case-by-case basis, requiring adherence to national security requirements.