It remains unclear whether the current directives apply to existing orders or strictly to new contracts. Neither China’s General Administration of Customs nor Nvidia responded to requests for comment regarding the enforcement measures.
The directive coincides with reports that government officials summoned domestic technology companies on Tuesday, explicitly instructing them to avoid purchasing the chips unless necessary.
This development casts uncertainty over the availability of Nvidia’s second-most powerful processor in the Chinese market, despite recent conditional export approvals by the U.S. administration. “The wording from the officials is so severe that it is basically a ban for now, though this might change in the future should things evolve,” said one source briefed on the meetings.
Authorities have not publicly specified whether this action constitutes a permanent ban, a temporary restriction, or a bargaining tactic in ongoing trade negotiations with Washington. However, the restrictions appear aimed at managing reliance on foreign technology while domestic alternatives, such as Huawei’s Ascend 910C, continue to develop.
The H200 chip is considered crucial for training large-scale AI models, delivering roughly six times the performance of its predecessor, the H20. Chinese technology firms have reportedly placed orders for more than two million units, priced at approximately $27,000 each. While exemptions are reportedly being discussed for research and development partnerships at universities, the broader commercial access remains blocked.
