Key facts
- ZTE Kangxun Telecom, Maginfra, and Kingsoft subsidiary Yunxiang Zhisheng have been approved by the U.S. to buy Nvidia and AMD AI chips.
- A small quantity of Nvidia H200 AI chips have started shipping to China.
- U.S. officials characterized these exports as 'trivial' despite the approvals.
U.S. regulators have granted approval for Chinese companies ZTE Kangxun Telecom, Maginfra, and Kingsoft subsidiary Yunxiang Zhisheng to acquire advanced artificial intelligence chips from Nvidia and AMD. This development comes as a small number of Nvidia's H200 AI chips have reportedly begun shipping to China.
A U.S. official confirmed the shipments of Nvidia's H200 chips, a detail that had previously been unconfirmed. However, the official also characterized these exports as "trivial" despite the approvals granted to the Chinese entities. The approvals signal a nuanced approach by the U.S. to semiconductor export controls, allowing certain sales while aiming to limit the transfer of cutting-edge technology that could bolster China's military or AI capabilities.