Beijing has effectively blocked imports of Nvidia’s H200 AI GPUs, with customs refusing clearance, despite U.S. limits allowing shipments. Details inside.
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Chinese authorities have effectively blocked imports of Nvidia’s H200 graphics processors, built for AI workloads. Reuters, citing sources, reports that this week China’s customs service notified brokers and logistics firms that these chips will not be cleared and cannot enter the country.
In parallel, government representatives held closed-door meetings with leading domestic tech companies, where businesses were explicitly urged to forgo H200 purchases except in cases of absolute necessity. Sources said the wording was so forceful that, in practice, it amounts to a blanket block even without a separate legal act. The message to the market is hard to misread, though the sources also noted that Beijing could revisit its position if external conditions change.
The timing is notable given recent moves by the United States. American regulators had allowed H200 shipments to China under several constraints: the chips must be verified by an independent lab to confirm their stated specifications, and shipment volumes cannot exceed half the number sold to U.S. customers. Yet despite a formal green light from Washington, Chinese authorities have chosen to impose their own curbs—underscoring rising friction around high-performance AI hardware and the drive for technological sovereignty.