Chinese authorities have allowed the entry of limited shipments of H200 processors produced by American company Nvidia, which specializes in designing AI chips. This move comes despite Beijing's policy to support local alternatives. Two major Chinese companies received around 20,000 chips in a step that reveals the need for advanced computing power still partially outweighs the desire to reduce reliance on American technology.

According to a report by Reuters citing the British Financial Times, ByteDance, the Chinese company owning TikTok, received about 10,000 H200 processors. Tencent Group, a Chinese internet, gaming, and cloud computing company, also obtained a similar quantity, based on two sources familiar with the matter. Other Chinese tech companies may receive limited shipments in the coming period.

A higher American ceiling
 

The United States allowed each company to purchase up to 100,000 chips. However, US approval does not mean that Beijing has fully opened the market. Chinese regulators want to keep most of this equipment out of mainland China so as not to hinder the growth of local companies developing competitive alternatives. The H200 is one of Nvidia's most powerful chips designed for training and running AI models within data centers.

هونغ كونغ تصبح المسار البديل
 

أبلغت الجهات التنظيمية الشركات بإمكان إرسال المعالجات إلى هونغ كونغ واستخدامها هناك، مستفيدة من وجودها خارج الحدود الجمركية للبر الرئيسي، وهو حل يمنح الشركات الصينية قدرة إضافية من دون إغراق السوق المحلي بالشرائح الأمريكية، ولم تتمكن رويترز من التحقق بصورة مستقلة من المعلومات، كما لم ترد Nvidia على طلب التعليق، ما يجعل نطاق الاستثناء الصيني واتساعه المقبل غير محسومين حتى الآن.