China tightens checks on Nvidia AI chips at major ports, FT reports
(Reuters) -China intensifies enforcement of import restrictions on U.S. chips, including Nvidia’s chips artificial intelligence According to the Financial Times, Beijing is focusing more on promoting domestic semiconductor production.
Chinese customs officials have been sent to major ports to carry out strict checks on semiconductor shipments, the newspaper reported on Friday, citing unidentified sources.
Chinese customs officials did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment, while an Nvidia spokesman declined to comment on the report.
The newspaper said the inspections targeted Nvidia’s H20 and RTX Pro 6000D models, which were originally designed to comply with US export controls.
The report stated that the controls were expanded to include all advanced semiconductor products that violate US export restrictions.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
China’s access to Nvidia’s world-leading chips has been a central point of friction between the US and China.
The Financial Times previously reported that at least $1 billion worth of Nvidia’s top AI chips were smuggled and sold in China in the three months starting in May. Reuters could not independently verify the report.
Nvidia has a new AI chip ‘RTX6000D’ designed specifically for the Chinese market, but it has seen only moderate demand as some major tech firms opted not to place orders, Reuters reported last month.
USA in August President Donald Trump He flagged the possibility of allowing Nvidia to sell more advanced chips in China.
Authorities in China have previously accused Nvidia of violating anti-monopoly law. They also ordered leading tech firms to halt purchases of Nvidia’s AI chips and cancel existing orders, the FT reported in September.
Despite the advances made by Huawei and other Chinese chip companies in recent years, people involved in engineering operations at Chinese tech firms say Nvidia’s chips perform better.
(Reporting by Ananya Palyekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala, Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Subhranshu Sahu)
