America Approves Export of H200 Chips from "Nvidia" to China

SadaNews - In a notable shift in advanced technology export policy, the U.S. Commerce Department has agreed to allow Nvidia to export the advanced H200 chips to China, according to the "Semafor" platform.

Under the decision, the company can supply the chips to approved customers within China, in exchange for the U.S. government receiving 25% of sales revenues.

The H200 chips are significantly more advanced than the H20 chips that Nvidia developed specifically for the Chinese market, but the company will be restricted to exporting versions that are about 18 months old.

A spokesperson for Nvidia stated that the company welcomes President Trump's decision, which allows U.S. chip manufacturing to compete and supports high-income jobs and domestic manufacturing, emphasizing that providing H200 to commercially vetted clients reflects a measured balance that serves U.S. interests.

Contradiction with Security Concerns in Congress

The decision comes just one week after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Licknick stated that the final word lies with President Donald Trump.

However, this step contradicts bipartisan pressure in Congress, where Republican Senator Pete Ricketts and Democrat Chris Coons introduced the SAFE Chips Act, which requires the Commerce Department to prohibit export licenses for advanced chips to China for 30 months.

While lawmakers strongly oppose exporting advanced artificial intelligence technologies to China, President Trump has remained indecisive in his position over the past months.

From Restrictions to Retracement

The Trump administration had imposed restrictions in April requiring special licenses to export advanced chips, before formally canceling a rule set by former President Joe Biden to regulate AI chip exports.

In the summer, the U.S. government indicated the possibility of allowing exports in exchange for receiving 15% of revenues, while using AI chips as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with Beijing.

However, Chinese markets had begun to suffer, especially after China's Cyber Administration imposed a ban on purchasing Nvidia chips in September, leading local companies to rely on less advanced alternatives from Huawei and Alibaba.

Notably, President Trump announced this week that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping "showed a positive response" to the decision, in a post on the "Truth Social" platform, indicating that technological developments have become an essential part of the political balance between the two countries.