Chinese regulators have approved sales of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence chips to a number of companies in China, according to a person familiar with the situation. The development follows public comments by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who said at a press conference in San Jose, California that the company had been licensed for "many customers in China" and had received purchase orders from several customers.
Nvidia had been awaiting export or sales licenses from both U.S. and Chinese authorities for several months. The company has secured some approvals in the United States, and the source indicated that Beijing has now issued licenses covering multiple customers in China.
When asked about the matter, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said they were "not aware of the specifics," and directed further queries to "the competent authorities." The embassy comment leaves the precise scope of the approvals - including which companies or the exact volumes affected - unspecified.
Huang also said Nvidia is in the process of restarting production of the H200 chips. The firm previously paused manufacturing of the H200 while regulatory reviews were underway in both the United States and China, a development reported by the Financial Times last month. Media reports on Tuesday, including from CNBC, noted that Huang told them Nvidia now has clearances from both countries.
Implications of the announced approvals and the planned production restart are subject to the limits of the available information. The public statements confirm licensing for "many customers" in China and that purchase orders have been received, but do not provide granular details on customer identities, order size, or timing. The Chinese embassy's statement indicates that some specifics remain with Chinese authorities and are not being publicly disclosed through the embassy.
Nvidia's comments about resuming H200 manufacturing indicate the company is preparing to move back into production after the pause tied to regulatory reviews. The exact timing for a full ramp-up, and whether additional approvals or conditions apply, were not detailed in the statements referenced here.
Observers and market participants will likely seek further official clarification from Chinese authorities and Nvidia for more granular information about which customers are covered by the licenses and when production will return to prior levels.