China Set To Approve Nvidia H200 AI Chip Purchases As Soon As This Quarter

Top on our market radar this morning: a Bloomberg News report says China is preparing to approve limited imports of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips as soon as this quarter, restoring partial access to a massive market after years of restrictions.

If Bloomberg’s report proves accurate, you can imagine how Jensen Huang is feeling right now.

Sources told the outlet that H200 approval would be limited to select commercial uses. The chip, which is used to train large AI models, would remain barred from the military, sensitive government agencies, critical infrastructure, and state-owned enterprises, with some limited exceptions.

For context, the H200 is an older-generation Hopper chip that the Trump administration has permitted for export to China, unlike the newer Blackwell or future Rubin processors, which remain restricted on national security grounds.

Last week, Reuters reported that major Chinese tech firms, including Alibaba Group and ByteDance, have signaled interest in the H200 as they race to compete with Western tech companies.

Reuters added that Nvidia plans to deliver roughly 5,000 to 10,000 chip modules, equivalent to about 40,000 to 80,000 H200 AI chips, to China in the coming months.

Beijing’s move to reopen the Chinese market to limited H200 access would still represent a major win for Nvidia. Huang has recently estimated that China’s AI chip market could reach $50 billion within just a few years.

Bloomberg also cited comments from Nvidia executives at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this week:

Nvidia executives said there is strong demand from Chinese customers for the H200, but noted that the company has not spoken directly with Beijing about approval and does not know when China may greenlight the sale. They added that license applications have been submitted to Washington and that final approval details from the US government are being finalized.

Related:

• Nvidia Prepares to Ship H200 AI Chips to China by Mid-February

• ByteDance Plans $14 Billion Nvidia H200 AI Chip Buying Spree as Computing Demand Soars

In New York, Nvidia shares in premarket trading are marginally higher on the news.