Nvidiais developing anewAIchipforChinabased on its latest Blackwell architecture that will be more powerful than theH20model it is currently allowed to sell there, two people briefed on the matter said.
U.S. President Donald Trump last weekopened the doorto the possibility of more advancedNvidiachips being sold inChina. But thesourcesnoted U.S. regulatory approval is far from guaranteed amid deep-seated fears in Washington about givingChinatoo much access to U.S. artificial intelligence technology.
Thenewchip, tentatively known as the B30A, will use a single-die design that is likely to deliver half the raw computing power of the more sophisticated dual-die configuration inNvidia’s flagship B300 accelerator card, thesourcessaid.
A single-die design is when all the main parts of an integrated circuit are made on one continuous piece of silicon rather than split across multiple dies.
Thenewchipwould have high-bandwidth memory andNvidia’s NVLink technology for fast data transmission between processors, features that are also in theH20- achipbased on the company’s older Hopper architecture.
Thechip’s specifications are not completely finalized butNvidiahopes to deliver samples to Chinese clients for testing as early as next month, said thesourceswho were not authorized to speak to media and declined to be identified.
Nvidiasaid in a statement: “We evaluate a variety of products for our roadmap, so that we can be prepared to compete to the extent that governments allow.”
“Everything we offer is with the full approval of the applicable authorities and designed solely for beneficial commercial use,” it said.
The U.S. Department of Commerce did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Flashpoint
The extent to whichChina, which generated 13% ofNvidia’s revenue in the past financial year, can have access to cutting-edgeAIchips is one of the biggest flashpoints in U.S.-Sino trade tensions.
Nvidiaonly received permission in July to recommence sales of theH20. It was developed specifically forChinaafter export restrictions were put in place in 2023, but the company was abruptly ordered to stop sales in April.
Trump said last week he might allowNvidiato sell a scaled-down version of its next-generationchipinChinaafter announcing an unprecedented deal that will seeNvidiaand rival AMDgive the U.S. government 15% of revenue from sales of some advancedchips inChina.
AnewNvidiachipforChinamight have “30% to 50% off”, he suggested in an apparent reference to thechip’s computing power, adding that theH20was “obsolete”.
U.S. legislators, both Democratic and Republican, have worried that access to even scaled-down versions of flagshipAIchips will impede U.S. efforts to maintain its lead in artificial intelligence.
ButNvidiaand others argue that it is important to retain Chinese interest in itschips — which work withNvidia’s software tools — so that developers do not completely switch over to offerings from rivals like Huawei.
Huawei has made great strides inchipdevelopment, with its latest models said to be on par withNvidiain some aspects like computing power, though analystssayit lags in key areas such as software ecosystem support and memory bandwidth capabilities.
ComplicatingNvidia’s efforts to retain market share inChina, Chinese state media have also in recent weeks alleged that the U.S firm’schips couldpose security risks, and authoritieshave cautionedChinese tech firms about purchasing theH20.Nvidiasays itschips carry no backdoor risks.
Nvidiais also preparing to start delivering a separatenewChina-specificchipbased on its Blackwell architecture and designed primarily forAIinference tasks, according to two other people familiar with those plans.
Reutersreported in Maythat thischip, currently dubbed the RTX6000D, will sell for less than theH20, reflecting weaker specifications and simpler manufacturing requirements.
Thechipis designed to fall under thresholds set by the U.S. government. It uses conventional GDDR memory and features memory bandwidth of 1,398 gigabytes per second, just below the 1.4 terabyte threshold established by restrictions introduced in April that led to the initialH20ban.
Nvidiais set to deliver small batches of RTX6000D to Chinese clients in September, said one of the people.
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