China Approves Nvidia H200 Chip Imports

China has approved the import of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence chips, marking a shift in its stance to balance AI needs with domestic development. This approval, granted during Jensen Huang's visit to China, allows major Chinese internet companies such as ByteDance, Alibaba Group, and Tencent to purchase over 400,000 H200 chips. Additionally, DeepSeek, a prominent AI startup, received conditional approval for H200 purchases. While the US had cleared exports, Beijing's hesitation was the main barrier. The move suggests China is prioritizing the needs of its major internet companies to build data centers and develop AI services, despite also aiming to nurture its domestic semiconductor industry. The China — National Development and Reform Commission, India — Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and China — Ministry of Public Security (China) are involved in finalizing the conditions for these purchases.