Kessler says few H200 chips reached China or Hong Kong
Limited H200 shipments suggest Nvidia’s China sales restart has barely begun, even after U.S. licenses were issued and officials shifted to case-by-case reviews with security checks.
Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffery Kessler said very few of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips have been shipped to China or Hong Kong, signaling that limited exports have resumed but remain minimal. The comments indicate some movement after licenses for the chips were issued earlier this year, though Nvidia has said it excluded potential Chinese AI chip revenue from its forecasts and CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC in May to "expect nothing" from China sales. Nvidia has long pushed to serve China, a major AI market, but U.S. export controls have kept most of its advanced chips restricted amid the broader U.S.-China technology dispute. Kessler said applications are being reviewed case by case, with national security requirements, inspections and occasional denials still shaping the pace of trade.
- case-by-case review: A licensing process in which officials assess each export application individually rather than applying a blanket approval or denial.
- export controls: Government rules that restrict or license overseas sales of sensitive technologies for national security or policy reasons.
- Hopper generation: An older Nvidia chip family that includes the H200, preceding the company’s newer Blackwell products.