Politics

China’s government has urged its companies not to buy NVIDIA’s (NVDA) AI chips

By Tj Denzer

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China's government has urged its companies not to buy NVIDIA's (NVDA) AI chips

NVIDIA (NVDA) continues to find itself hobbled when it comes to business in China as this week, the nation’s government has issued statements strongly urging its companies not to purchase NVIDIA AI chips. While NVIDIA has faced quite some scrutiny from China, this latest action could heavily affect its plans to expand business in the country as China continues to strive for greater independence in tech manufacturing.

Reports of the Chinese government’s new stance on NVIDIA AI chips first came out via Financial Times this week. According to the story, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) ordered companies such as TikTok parent company ByteDance, Alibaba, and more not buy NVIDIA’s RTS Pro 6000D. It was a chip that was specifically designed for the Chinese market, but with the official order from authorities, it may be a dead end for NVIDIA, at least for now.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang spoke to the matter following the Financial Times report, saying he was “disappointed” in the decision the Chinese government had made, which comes after the government also accused NVIDIA of violating anti-monopoly laws in the country with a 2020 acquisition of a company known as Mellanox. NVIDIA has been flexed between US and Chinese regulations on several occasions, including purchasing new US trade licenses to even export its products to China. Nonetheless, Huang submits that while trade tensions between the US and China continue, it will likely continue to complicate matters:

It remains to be seen if NVIDIA can find a path to sales in China, but for now, it looks like it’s an uphill battle as the company continues to navigate international trade situations. Stay tuned to the NVIDIA topic as we continue to follow for more news and updates.