The Trump administration has approved the export of Nvidia’s H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, introducing strict volume limits as part of a broader effort to balance economic interests with national security concerns.

According to the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Nvidia may ship H200 processors to China only if total volumes do not exceed 50% of the company’s domestic US sales. The new policy takes effect on January 16, 2026, and replaces the blanket restrictions imposed under the Biden administration’s AI Diffusion Rule.

Each shipment bound for China must undergo verification by a US-based third-party laboratory to confirm the chips’ specifications and functionality. The move shifts export licensing from a presumption of denial to a case-by-case review, though the volume cap remains a key limiting factor.

The decision follows months of lobbying by Nvidia, whose CEO Jensen Huang has repeatedly warned that excessive restrictions risk pushing Chinese customers toward domestic alternatives without meaningfully slowing AI development.

Source: https://techwireasia.com/2026/01/nvidia-h200-chip-exports-china-restrictions/