NVIDIA circumvents US sanctions with new AI chip for China

As the United States tightens restrictions on China, NVIDIA appears to have found a back door. The semiconductor giant is reportedly preparing an AI chip specifically designed for the Chinese market , scheduled for launch as early as September.

Nvidia defies US sanctions with a chip for China

According to the Financial Times, the new chip will be based on the Blackwell RTX Pro 6000 processor , but in a "light" version. It will lack high-bandwidth memory and NVLink, the ultra-fast communications interface of Nvidia's most advanced AI chips. A stripped-down version, but still powerful enough for the Chinese market, one of the most promising in the world.

Just a month ago, CEO Jensen Huang declared that NVIDIA would no longer include China in its future financial plans. It seemed like the end of a years-long business romance. But this new chip demonstrates that NVIDIA has no intention of truly giving up on the Chinese market.

"With the current trade restrictions, we are virtually cut off from the Chinese data center market , which is now in the hands of companies like Huawei ," an NVIDIA spokesperson explained. These words reveal the frustration of a company that has seen Chinese competitors conquer a market it once dominated.

China cannot be ignored

The fact is, China is home to one of the world's largest developer communities , creating open-source models and non-military applications used globally. Ignoring this ecosystem would mean ceding technological influence to competitors who don't have the same restrictions.

Security is paramount , continues the NVIDIA spokesperson, but all this software should run optimally on American processors. A statement that reveals the real stakes: it's not just about selling chips. While Chinese developers depend on American hardware, the US retains a lever of control over the evolution of artificial intelligence worldwide.