WASHINGTON: The US commerce department has begun issuing licenses to Nvidia for exporting its H20 artificial intelligence chips to China. This development follows a meeting between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and former President Donald Trump at the White House, as reported by the Financial Times.
The Financial Times cited a US official confirming that the bureau of industry and security, responsible for export controls, started approving the H20 chip licenses. Nvidia had specifically designed the H20 chips to meet Chinese market requirements while complying with earlier Biden administration export restrictions.
Last month, the US reversed an April ban that had blocked Nvidia from selling the H20 chip to China. Nvidia had previously stated it was applying for US government approval to resume H20 GPU sales in China.
According to the report, Trump changed his stance on the April restrictions after Huang personally lobbied him during the White House visit. However, Nvidia expressed frustration over the delayed license issuance three weeks after the decision.
Huang met Trump again on Wednesday, and within two days, the commerce department began issuing the licenses, as per FT sources. Nvidia had earlier assured China that its H20 chips contain no security vulnerabilities or backdoors enabling remote access.
Nvidia declined to comment on the latest developments. The US Department of Commerce has not yet responded to Reuters’ request for clarification. – Reuters