NVIDIA is reportedly preparing to launch a new AI chip tailored for the Chinese market as early as September, in response to ongoing US export controls.
The news, initially reported by the Financial Times, highlights NVIDIA’s continued efforts to maintain a foothold in China while navigating tightening trade restrictions from Washington.
According to the report, the new chip will be based on NVIDIA’s Blackwell RTX Pro 6000 architecture. However, it will omit key features such as high-bandwidth memory and NVLink, the company’s proprietary high-speed interconnect designed to accelerate AI workloads. These exclusions are intended to ensure the chip complies with current US restrictions on the export of advanced semiconductor technology to China.
The move comes after a turbulent few months for the company in the Chinese market. On 9th April, NVIDIA was notified by US authorities that new export licences would be required for shipments of its H20 AI chips to China. This led to a $4.5 billion charge, attributed to weakened demand, unsold inventory, and supplier obligations. Although NVIDIA had generated $4.6 billion in H20 sales prior to the restrictions, a further $2.5 billion in expected revenue was left unrealised.
Last month, CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged the shifting landscape, stating that NVIDIA would no longer include the Chinese market in its revenue and profit forecasts. He added that a reversal of the restrictions by the Trump administration would be a “bonus”, but not something the company was counting on.
Despite these challenges, NVIDIA’s overall market trajectory has remained strong. On 10th July, the company became the first in history to surpass a $4 trillion market valuation, driven by robust demand for its graphics processing units (GPUs) across Cloud infrastructure, hyperscale data centres, and large-scale AI model training. Its shares rose by as much as 2.4% to $164 on the day, reinforcing investor confidence in the long-term growth of AI infrastructure.
The upcoming China-specific chip represents NVIDIA’s attempt to retain market share in a region that has become increasingly difficult to navigate.
