"China prohibits leading technology companies from purchasing NVIDIA's newest AI chip, attributing the action to reasons other than the United States' responsibility"
In a significant development, NVIDIA, a leading tech giant, has been reported to be working on a new AI GPU based on its latest Blackwell architecture, aiming to begin shipping it to China in Q3 2025. This move comes amidst the complex web of US export controls and ongoing political tensions between the two global powers.
The Trump administration's decision to impose a flat ban on H20 exports to China in April, and its subsequent reversal in July, has undoubtedly impacted NVIDIA's strategic planning. The company, in response, has developed the NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000D, an AI chip designed specifically for the Chinese market.
China has been attempting to free itself from the pull of NVIDIA's leading AI chips for years. The recent allegations of antitrust violations in connection with the purchase of Israeli chip designer Mellanox have added fuel to the fire. Chinese officials have been putting pressure on tech firms to avoid using NVIDIA's older H20 chip, citing concerns about potential backdoors, kill switches, and spyware in NVIDIA's hardware.
To meet the demand for the new RTX Pro 6000D, NVIDIA needed an extra 300,000 H20 AI GPUs from TSMC, on top of the 600,000 to 700,000 chips it had already stockpiled. However, the RTX Pro 6000D, while complying with US export controls, is less powerful than the H20 AI chip, which has been the primary AI GPU prior to its release. The RTX Pro 6000D uses the newer Blackwell architecture with GDDR7 memory, delivering about 1,100 GB/s bandwidth, while the H20 uses the older Hopper architecture.
NVIDIA's CEO, Jensen Huang, has expressed disappointment over the directive, remarking that the advance of human society is not a zero-sum game. Huang is hoping to discuss the issue with President Trump during his UK state visit and is optimistic that the friction between the US and China will be sorted out during the meeting.
The political landscape has further intensified, with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson naming China an "adversary" following news that China had blocked tech firms from buying and using NVIDIA's RTX Pro 6000D chips. President Trump, in August, announced a new deal with NVIDIA and AMD for export licenses for their AI chips, with a 15% tax on sales to China.
Officials from the Cyberspace Administration of China have told top domestic tech companies, including Alibaba and ByteDance, to stop buying and testing NVIDIA's RTX Pro 6000D AI GPUs. The RTX Pro 6000D is a successor to NVIDIA's RTX 5090D and is a secondary option to the H20 for Chinese markets.
As the world watches, President Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, potentially marking a turning point in the ongoing tech-political saga between the two nations. Jensen Huang, for his part, remains hopeful for a resolution that will allow NVIDIA to continue its contributions to the global tech industry without compromising on its principles.
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