US Shifts Review Policy from "Presumption of Denial" to "Case-by-Case Review"
China Issues Import Guidelines Allowing H200 Chips Only in "Special Cases"
The Information reported on January 13 (local time) that the Chinese government has decided to grant approval for the purchase of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips only in special cases and under limited circumstances. While the United States has opened the way for exports of the H200 chip to China starting from this day, China is effectively implementing import control measures.
According to The Information, citing multiple sources, the Chinese government has notified technology companies that the H200 chip can only be used in special situations, such as at university research institutes.
Additionally, technology companies were given ambiguous guidance to purchase Nvidia chips only "when necessary." Foreign media interpreted this as a de facto import control measure. Initially, China had considered requiring companies purchasing H200 chips to also buy domestic AI chips at a designated ratio, but has now introduced an even stricter regulatory policy.
This move appears to reflect the Chinese government's judgment that fostering the domestic semiconductor industry-including companies like Huawei and Cambricon-takes precedence over developing AI using Nvidia's cutting-edge chips.
However, the Chinese authorities have not provided specific guidelines regarding what constitutes a "necessary case," maintaining an ambiguous stance. The Information interpreted this as leaving room for the Chinese government to relax the guidelines if China-U.S. relations improve in the future.
Sources said the Chinese government plans to hold additional meetings with more companies to communicate the AI chip purchase guidelines, but it remains uncertain whether new guidelines will be introduced.
Meanwhile, despite China's effective import control measures, the United States has completed the process of revising rules for exporting the H200 chip to China.
On this day, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a "Revised Licensing Policy for Advanced Computing Items" in its online Federal Register. The core of this revision is to ease the licensing policy for exports of Nvidia's H200 chips, equivalent products, and lower-tier products to China and Macau from a "presumption of denial" to "case-by-case review."
As a result, H200 chips-which were previously not allowed to be exported to China-can now be exported to China through individual reviews, provided that there is no shortage of supply within the United States and that strict customer verification procedures are implemented in accordance with the regulations.
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