Tech war: Nvidia to tailor another set of chips for China clients after updated US export control curbs, distributor says
- Nvidia has developed a new server and two new GPUs for China market after its A800 and H800 GPUs were banned, distributor says
- Move would be another sign of how important the Chinese market is for US chip firms and how they are jostling to remain compliant with new regime
US semiconductor giant Nvidia Corp will tailor new artificial intelligence (AI) chips for Chinese customers after its A800 and H800 graphics processing units (GPU) – also specifically designed for China clients – were banned under the October update to Washington’s export control regime, according to a distributor of Nvidia chips on the mainland.
Nvidia has developed a new server, the HGX H20, and two new GPUs, the L20 and L2, for Chinese customers after its A800 and H800 GPUs – previously made to meet the needs of China clients to comply with an earlier version of US export controls – were banned from being sold to Chinese clients last month, according to a sales manager at a major Beijing-based Nvidia distributor, who declined to be named.
The distributor said he was briefed on the development earlier this week and that the new chips, which comply with the latest US export rules, will be offered to China clients as replacements for the A800 and H800.
Chinese local media outlet CLS.cn, an online tech and financial news app, first reported news of Nvidia’s new chips for China clients on Thursday. According to the report, the three new products have been modified from a base version of the H100 GPU, a high-end GPU used for AI training that was also blocked from being sold to China in August 2022.
Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
If Nvidia confirms the move, it would be another sign of how important the Chinese market is for US chip firms and how far some of them are prepared to go to remain compliant with Washington’s evolving restrictions.
US chip maker Micron Technology, whose products were subjected to a partial sales ban in China earlier this year, had a booth for the first time at this month’s China International Import Expo in Shanghai in a show of its commitment to the Chinese market.
