U.S. Blocks Nvidia’s Scaled-Down AI Chips for China, Forcing Domestic Semiconductor Reliance
The White House has barred Nvidia from exporting its B30A AI chips to China, closing a loophole that allowed Chinese firms to combine lower-capacity units for advanced AI training. These chips, designed to comply with earlier export restrictions, were already being tested by several Chinese data center operators. Nvidia claims no material exposure to China's datacenter market, but the move effectively severs a critical workaround for AI development.
Beijing is accelerating domestic semiconductor initiatives as the new rules extend to state-backed cloud infrastructure and research clusters. Nvidia is reportedly redesigning the B30A for potential reapproval—a familiar dance after multiple prior iterations. Market observers note this escalates the tech cold war's front in AI hardware, where clustered chips had become a stopgap solution.
