“It is not the fault of the United States” — China bans top tech firms from buying NVIDIA’s latest AI chip

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The ongoing tensions between the US and China, with NVIDIA in the middle, have reached new heights.

Reports surfaced on Wednesday (according to the Financial Times) that Chinese regulators instructed major tech companies like Alibaba and ByteDance to halt purchases and testing of NVIDIA’s RTX Pro 6000D AI graphics cards.

The RTX Pro 6000D is an AI processor created for the Chinese market. Like other NVIDIA chips sold only in China, such as the H20, its performance has been intentionally limited.

Several Chinese tech companies were planning to purchase and evaluate the chip, but those plans have now been halted due to a new government order.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang expressed disappointment with the current situation, telling the BBC that progress shouldn’t come at the expense of others. He believes the US needs to ensure global access to technology, even for China.

Jensen Huang recently made comments similar to ones he shared in July, after the Trump administration lifted restrictions on the H20 AI GPU. Huang stated:

We aim for all AI models to perform optimally using American technology, which we hope will lead other countries to adopt it as well.

Huang mentioned he planned to talk with President Trump about this matter Wednesday night, as his trip to the UK concludes. He’s not the only tech leader with the President; Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is also traveling with him.

President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet on Friday, and there’s hope the meeting will help resolve current disagreements. Huang shared this expectation in an interview with the BBC, stating:

From what I’ve observed, President Trump is straightforward about his goals – he wants the United States to succeed. Similarly, President Xi Jinping clearly aims for China’s success. Interestingly, it seems like both outcomes aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive; both countries could potentially achieve their goals.

Recent statements by US House Speaker Mike Johnson have further strained relations between the United States and China.

Following reports that China restricted tech companies from purchasing NVIDIA’s RTX Pro 6000D chips, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo labeled China a “competitor” rather than an adversary, according to CNBC.

They are stealing our inventions and creative work. They don’t respect American trademark laws or the rules that ensure fair trade. The current difficulties in our relationship with them aren’t our fault.

Mike Johnson, US House Speaker

For years, China has been working to reduce its reliance on NVIDIA’s advanced AI chips, and it appears the country is getting closer to no longer using NVIDIA’s hardware.

What is the NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000D AI chip?

You’ve probably been hearing a lot about NVIDIA’s H20 AI GPU, so it’s understandable if you were surprised to learn about the RTX Pro 6000D. It seemed to appear unexpectedly.

The RTX Pro 6000D is essentially an upgraded version of the RTX 5090D and offers a different choice for customers in China, alongside the H20, which is based on an older technology.

In July, reports from Tom’s Hardware indicated that NVIDIA was developing a new AI graphics card using its advanced Blackwell architecture, designed to comply with US export regulations for China.

NVIDIA originally planned to start selling its new AI GPU in China in the third quarter of 2025, with a target of one to two million units sold by the year’s end. However, recent changes in Chinese regulations have made that goal impossible.

How did the US, China, and NVIDIA arrive at this tense standoff?

Last August, I reported that Chinese authorities were urging tech companies not to use NVIDIA’s older H20 chip.

The new rule, which didn’t completely prohibit anything, came as Chinese officials became increasingly worried that NVIDIA was collaborating with the US government to secretly add vulnerabilities – like hidden access points or remote disabling features – to its products.

NVIDIA strongly refuted the claims, but Chinese customers could still purchase the chips, though doing so might be considered socially awkward.

China was worried by the US government’s inconsistent rules about exporting a key material. The Trump administration first completely blocked exports in April, but then lifted the ban in July.

NVIDIA quickly realized they would need an additional 300,000 H20 AI GPUs from TSMC to keep up with high customer demand. This is in addition to the 600,000 to 700,000 GPUs NVIDIA already had in stock.

In a surprising decision last August, President Trump revealed a new agreement with NVIDIA and AMD. The deal allows the companies to export their AI chips to China, but requires them to pay a 15% tax on those sales to the US government.

This week, China’s government accused NVIDIA of violating antitrust regulations related to its acquisition of Mellanox, an Israeli chip design company.

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2025-09-18 20:10