Nvidia Resumes H20 GPU Shipments to China After U.S. Approval

Nvidia has announced its plan to resume shipments of its H20 GPUs to China, following a period of halted sales due to U.S. export restrictions. The company has applied for the necessary licenses from the U.S. Commerce Department and expects approval "soon." Once the paperwork is complete, Nvidia will quickly resume deliveries to Chinese buyers.

In addition to resuming H20 GPU shipments, Nvidia has introduced a new RTX Pro graphics processor. This new model is designed to be "fully compliant" with current regulations and is aimed at digital-twin artificial-intelligence work in various industrial settings within China. The launch of this new model underscores Nvidia's commitment to operating within the legal frameworks set by both the U.S. and Chinese governments.

Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, has been actively engaging with both U.S. and Chinese officials to promote cooperation on AI research and to underscore the firm’s open-source support. Huang recently met with President Donald Trump and several lawmakers in the U.S. capital before traveling to China for talks with officials there. These meetings were aimed at fostering cooperation and ensuring that Nvidia can continue to operate in both markets.

The resumption of H20 GPU shipments to China is a significant development for Nvidia. It not only allows the company to re-enter a crucial market but also demonstrates its ability to navigate complex geopolitical and regulatory landscapes. This move is expected to have a positive impact on Nvidia's business in China, where demand for advanced AI and graphics processing units remains high.

Nvidia had previously lost access to the China market due to U.S. export curbs on advanced semiconductors and chips. The company had been preparing a scaled-down version of the H20 GPU to satisfy these restrictions. However, the decision to halt sales left no time for the company to clear back orders, resulting in a multibillion-dollar writeoff on inventory that could not be sold or repurposed.

Huang has sought to ease fears that Nvidia hardware might boost Chinese military projects. He mentioned that the U.S. need not be concerned about the People’s Liberation Army using U.S. tech because "they simply can’t rely on it." He added that Washington could cut off access whenever it wants and pointed out that China already has enough computing power. Huang added, “They don’t need Nvidia’s chips, certainly, or American tech stacks in order to build their military.”

Huang's remarks come after years of measures in the Congress and the White House to curb shipments of advanced AI chips to Chinese customers. Huang again criticized that strategy, calling it counterproductive to America’s goal of maintaining leadership in cutting-edge tech. “We want the American tech stack to be the global standard,” he told CNN. “In order for us to do that, we have to be in search of all the AI developers in the world.” He noted that about half of those developers are based in China.