Nvidia mulls increasing H200 chip output on Chinese orders

Move follows US approval for exports with 25% fee, while Beijing has yet to decide on allowing shipments into China

SINGAPORE:

Nvidia has told Chinese clients it is evaluating adding production capacity for its powerful H200 AI chips after orders exceeded its current output level, according to two sources briefed on the matter.

The move comes after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the US government would allow Nvidia to export H200 processors, its second-fastest AI chips, to China and collect a 25% fee on such sales.

Demand for the chip from Chinese companies is so strong that Nvidia is leaning toward adding new capacity, one of the sources said. They declined to be named as the discussions are private.

"We are managing our supply chain to ensure that licensed sales of the H200 to authorised customers in China will have no impact on our ability to supply customers in the United States," an Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement.

Major Chinese companies including Alibaba and ByteDance have already reached out to Nvidia this week about purchasing the H200 and are keen to place large orders, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

However, uncertainties remain, as the Chinese government has yet to greenlight any purchase of the H200. Chinese officials convened emergency meetings on Wednesday to discuss the matter and will decide whether to allow it to be shipped into China, said one of the two sources and a third source. Very limited quantities of H200 chips are currently in production, Reuters reported on Wednesday, as the US AI chip leader is focused on producing its most advanced Blackwell and upcoming Rubin lines.

Supply of H200 chips has been a major concern for Chinese clients and they have reached out to Nvidia seeking clarity on this, sources said.

As part of the briefing provided by Nvidia, the company has also given them guidance on current supply levels, said one of the first two people, without providing a specific number. The H200 went into mass deployment last year and is the fastest AI chip in Nvidia's previous Hopper generation. The chip is manufactured by TSMC using the Taiwanese firm's 4nm manufacturing process technology.

TSMC declined to comment on capacity allocations for specific customers, pointing instead to recent remarks by Chairman and CEO CC Wei on the company's capacity planning approach amid surging AI demand.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Chinese companies' strong demand for the H200 stems from the fact that it is easily the most powerful chip they can currently access.

It is about six times more powerful than the H20, a downgraded chip from Nvidia tailored for the Chinese market that was released in late 2023.