Reuters analyzes over 150 procurement and investment documents in China

A pedestrian places a candle in front of an Nvidia sign outside the company's headquarters in Santa Clara, California, on Thursday (local time). [AFP]
A pedestrian places a candle in front of an Nvidia sign outside the company's headquarters in Santa Clara, California, on Thursday (local time). [AFP]

Chinese AI projects dependent on Nvidia chips subject to US export controls are valued at more than 23 billion yuan ($3.45 billion), according to a Reuters tally, despite Washington's semiconductor export restrictions.

Reuters reported Friday (local time) that its analysis of more than 150 Chinese procurement notices, investment plans, construction contracts and corporate filings found that projects and equipment contracts relying on Nvidia chips under US export controls totaled more than 23 billion yuan ($3.45 billion).

However, the figure covers not only Nvidia chips but also costs for buildings, power systems and infrastructure. The tally includes projects already completed as well as those still in the planning or contracting stage.

According to Reuters, AI data center projects using Nvidia's H100, H200 and H800 semiconductors are being pursued across China. Among these, the H200 has been permitted for export to China since early this year, provided it clears a case-by-case review by US authorities.

The projects involve not only major Chinese technology companies but also local government-linked venture businesses, universities and regional computing centers. In Fujian Province, a 6.2 billion yuan AI data center project explicitly listed the H100 chip in its call for partners.

Nvidia has long maintained that US government export controls have in effect shut it out of China's AI data center market. Reuters said its findings illustrate the connection between China's expanding AI industry and Nvidia technology.

Jensen Huang, Nvidia's former CEO, has advocated for easing export restrictions on China. Last year, he said Nvidia's share of the Chinese market had fallen from 95 percent to zero. The company has also excluded China data center computing sales from its earnings outlook, citing regulatory uncertainty.

Reuters noted that as the US Congress presses for tighter semiconductor export controls on China, related projects in the country face risks including delays in Nvidia chip supply and supply chain disruptions.

Sunny Cheung, an analyst at the Jamestown Foundation think tank, said US authorities should go beyond simply tracking who purchases the chips and instead investigate who ultimately uses the computing power and for what purpose.

China's Ministry of Commerce and Nvidia did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.


hajun825@heraldcorp.com