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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. (Photo: Yonhap News) |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] U.S. semiconductor giant Nvidia has delayed exports of its H200 artificial intelligence chips to China as it has yet to agree to conditions set by the U.S. government, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
According to Reuters, the U.S. Department of Commerce informed Nvidia around two weeks ago that it was prepared to approve exports of H200 chips to ByteDance, the Chinese parent of video platform TikTok. However, Nvidia has not accepted detailed guidelines, including customer verification and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) requirements, the report said.
Under revised rules announced on March 14, the U.S. Department of Commerce requires companies applying for export licenses to verify that customers will block remote access to the chips under “strict KYC procedures.” The measure is intended to strengthen security controls on Chinese buyers and prevent access to dual-use chips by the Chinese military, including the People’s Liberation Army.
In a statement, a Nvidia spokesperson said the company does not have the authority to independently accept or reject U.S. export licensing conditions, adding that Nvidia acts merely as an intermediary between the U.S. government and potential customers subject to U.S. regulations. While emphasizing that KYC is important, the spokesperson said it is not the core issue, stressing that “commercially practical” conditions must be met before chips can be sold to China.
Reuters reported that negotiations between Nvidia and U.S. authorities are ongoing. The report follows earlier media accounts that, after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited China, Beijing approved H200 chip purchases by major Chinese technology companies including ByteDance, Tencent and Alibaba.
Sources said some H200 chips could be exported to China before a planned summit in April between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Under Commerce Department regulations, companies exporting chips to China must also report lists of remote users linked to countries of concern such as Iran, Cuba and Venezuela, and undergo technical verification by a third-party research institution based in the United States. These requirements are widely seen as part of conditions imposed by President Trump, including a reported 25% fee tied to allowing H200 exports.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
