U.S. semiconductor export controls targeting China are expanding from Nvidia and AMD to Intel. According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 16th (local time), Intel reportedly stated that some sales of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) processors to Chinese customers will require approval.
According to reports citing sources, Intel sent an email last week to its Chinese customers stating that if its chips have a total DRAM bandwidth of over 1400GB, I/O bandwidth of over 1100GB per second, or a combined bandwidth exceeding 1700GB per second, export to China will require a license.
FT explained that Intel's Gaudi series and Nvidia's H20 exceed these requirements.
Previously, Nvidia announced that it had been notified by the U.S. government that exporting H20 chips to China would require official approval. Nvidia had been exporting the H20 chip, which has reduced performance compared to the existing H100 chip, to China to circumvent U.S. semiconductor export regulations targeting China. However, with the Trump administration expanding export restrictions, the export route for the H20 chip has now been blocked.
Nvidia stated that the blockage of H20 chip exports to China is expected to result in a $5.5 billion loss in the first quarter. AMD, considered a rival to Nvidia, also estimated an $800 million loss due to disruptions in exporting its lower-spec AI chip MI308 to China.
Meanwhile, according to U.S. CNBC, Nvidia issued a statement on the same day saying, "The U.S. government directs what companies can sell and where, and we strictly comply with those regulations."
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the same day, the U.S. House of Representatives' China Strategy and Competition Special Committee has launched an investigation into Nvidia's chip sales in Asia to assess whether Nvidia violated regulations by providing AI technology to the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek.
Regarding the House committee's criticism over loopholes in H20 chip sales over the past year, Nvidia responded, "As a member of the technology industry, we sell products to trusted companies worldwide. If the government had opposed any sales, there would have been guidance."
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