The United States’ Department of Commerce has started issuing licences to Nvidia to export its H20 chips to China, a US official told Reuters on Friday, removing a significant hurdle to the AI bellwether’s access to a key market.
That followed the US government’s decision last month to reverse an April ban on the sale of the H20 chip to China. Nvidia had tailored the graphics processing unit (GPU) especially for the Chinese market to comply with the Biden-era artificial intelligence chip export controls.
The curbs would have sliced US$8 billion off sales from Nvidia’s July quarter, the company had warned.
It is unclear how many licences may have been issued, which companies Nvidia was permitted to ship the H20 chips to, and the value of the shipments allowed.
An Nvidia representative declined to comment. A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Financial Times first reported the issuance of H20 export licences to Nvidia.
