China Steps Up Customs Crackdown on Nvidia AI Chips: Report

China has stepped up enforcement of chip import restrictions in a bid to reduce domestic tech companies’ dependence on US products such as Nvidia’s AI processors, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

Teams of customs officials have been mobilized at major ports across the country in the past few weeks to conduct stringent checks on semiconductor shipments, the newspaper reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

According to the FT report, the inspections were launched to ensure that local companies stop buying China-specific Nvidia chips, in line with guidance from regulators.

Chinese customs and Nvidia did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

The report stated that Chinese regulators, led by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), ordered major technology firms such as ByteDance and Alibaba to halt orders and testing of Nvidia products in mid-September, and customs checks were expanded to cover all advanced semiconductor products.