China has reportedly approved the purchase of Nvidia H200 chips by its leading artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek, marking a significant development amid easing tensions between the United States and China. The move signals a possible shift in the long standing restrictions that had previously blocked advanced US made AI hardware from entering the Chinese market.
According to reports, regulatory conditions are still being finalised, but approvals have already been granted in principle. This decision comes at a critical time when AI chips are at the center of global technological competition, powering advanced models, data centers, and next generation computing systems.
In addition to DeepSeek, major Chinese technology companies including ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent have also received permission to acquire Nvidia’s H200 processors. Collectively, these firms are expected to purchase more than 400,000 H200 chips, highlighting the scale of China’s ambition in artificial intelligence development.
Interestingly, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated during a visit to Taipei that the company had not yet been officially notified of these approvals. However, he expressed optimism that China was in the process of finalising the necessary licensing steps. Industry observers believe this reflects ongoing coordination between Chinese regulators and US authorities.
Sources indicate that China’s industry and commerce ministries have already approved the purchases. Final conditions are now under review by the National Development and Reform Commission, which is assessing regulatory and strategic considerations tied to the imports.
DeepSeek gained international attention last year after launching high performance AI models that were reportedly trained at a fraction of the cost incurred by US competitors such as OpenAI. This efficiency has positioned the company as one of China’s most promising AI innovators.
The H200 chip, Nvidia’s second most powerful AI processor, has become a sensitive symbol in US China relations. While the United States recently cleared the way for Nvidia to sell these chips, final shipment approvals from Chinese authorities are still pending.
Overall, the approval of Nvidia H200 chips for Chinese firms suggests cautious progress toward stabilising tech trade relations while reinforcing China’s push to remain competitive in the global AI race.
