Nvidia says it will resume sales of 'H20' AI chips to China
The California-based firm produces some of the world's most advanced semiconductors but is not allowed to ship its most cutting-edge chips to China owing to concerns that Beijing could use them to boost its military capabilities.
It developed the H20 -- a less powerful version of its AI processing units -- specifically for export to China, although that plan hit the skids when the Trump administration firmed up export licence requirements in April.
The company said in a statement on Tuesday that it was "filing applications to sell the Nvidia H20 GPU again".
"The US government has assured Nvidia that licences will be granted, and Nvidia hopes to start deliveries soon," the statement said.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in a video published by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday "the US government has approved for us (to file) licences to start shipping H20s, and so we will start to sell H20s to the Chinese market".
"I'm looking forward to shipping H20s very soon, and so I'm very happy with that very, very good news," Huang, wearing his trademark black leather jacket, told a group of reporters.
CCTV said in a separate report that Huang would attend a major supply chain gathering on Wednesday.
The Taiwan-born executive "will be present at the opening ceremony of the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo on July 16 and will participate in related activities", the broadcaster said.
It cited the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, an official body controlled by Beijing's commerce ministry.
It will be Huang's third trip to China this year, according to CCTV.
- 'Positive role' -
China is a crucial market for Nvidia but in recent years the US export squeeze has left it battling tougher competition from local players such as homegrown champion Huawei.
Beijing has decried Washington's curbs as unfair and designed to hinder its development.
Huang, an electrical engineer, told Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on a visit to Beijing in April that he "looked favourably upon the potential of the Chinese economy", according to state news agency Xinhua.
He said he was "willing to continue to plough deeply into the Chinese market and play a positive role in promoting US-China trade cooperation", Xinhua reported.
The tightened US export curbs have come as China's economy wavers, with domestic consumers reluctant to spend and a prolonged property sector crisis weighing on growth.
President Xi Jinping has called for China to become more self-reliant as uncertainty in the external environment increases.
The Financial Times reported in May that Nvidia was planning to build a research and development centre in Shanghai. Neither Nvidia nor the city's authorities confirmed the project to AFP at the time.
China's economy grew 5.2 percent in the second quarter of the year, official data showed on Tuesday, after analysts predicted strong exports despite trade war pressures.
mjw/pbt/dan
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Humanoid robots embodiment of China's AI ambitions
Serving craft beer, playing mahjong, stacking shelves and boxing, the dozens of humanoid robots at Shanghai's World AI Conference (WAIC) this weekend were embodiments of China's growing AI prowess and ambition. The annual event is primed at showcasing China's progress in the ever-evolving field of artificial intelligence, with the government aiming to position the country as a world leader on both technology and regulation as it snaps at the United States' heels. Opening the event on Saturday, Premier Li Qiang announced China would set up a new organisation for cooperation on AI governance, warning the benefits of development must be balanced with the risks. But in the cavernous expo next door, the mood was more giddy than concerned. "Demand is currently very strong, whether in terms of data, scenarios, model training, or artificial construction. The overall atmosphere in all these areas is very lively," said Yang Yifan, R&D director at Transwarp, a Shanghai-based AI platform provider. This year's WAIC is the first since a breakthrough moment for Chinese AI this January when startup DeepSeek unveiled an AI model that performed as well as top US systems for an apparent fraction of the cost. Organisers said the forum involved more than 800 companies, showcasing over 3,000 products -- the undeniable crowd pleasers being the humanoid robots and their raft of slightly surreal party tricks. At one booth, a robot played drums, half a beat out of time, to Queen's "We Will Rock You" while a man in safety goggles and a security vest hyped up a giggling crowd. Other droids, some dressed in working overalls or baseball caps, manned assembly lines, played curling with human opponents or sloppily served soft drinks from a dispenser. While most of the machines on display were still a little jerky, the increasing sophistication year-on-year was clear to see. The Chinese government has poured support into robotics, an area in which some experts think China might already have the upper hand over the United States. At Hangzhou-based Unitree's stall, its G1 android -- around 130 centimetres (four feet) tall, with a two-hour battery life -- kicked, pivoted and punched, keeping its balance with relative fluidity as it shadowboxed around a ring. Ahead of the conference's opening, Unitree announced it would launch a full-size humanoid, the R1, for under $6,000. - 'Digital humans' - Most high-tech helpers don't need hardware though. At the expo, AI companions -- in the form of middle-aged businessmen, scantily clad women and ancient warriors -- waved at people from screens, asking how their day was, while other stalls ran demos allowing visitors to create their own digital avatars. Tech giant Baidu on Saturday announced a new generation of technology for its "digital humans" -- AI agents modelled on real people, which it says are "capable of thinking, making decisions, and collaborating". The company recently ran a six-hour e-commerce broadcast hosted by the "digital human" of a well-known streamer and another avatar. The two agents beat the human streamer's debut sales in some categories, Baidu said. Over ten thousand businesses are using the technology daily already, the department's head Wu Chenxia told AFP. Asked about the impact on jobs -- one of the major concerns raised around widespread AI adoption -- Wu insisted that AI was a tool that should be used to improve quality and save time and effort, which still required human input. In China, the integration of AI into everyday life is beginning to pick up pace. At WAIC, Baidu also announced it had been granted a permit to operate fully driverless robotaxis in parts of the massive Pudong district, the service's first foray into downtown Shanghai. For now, few visitors to the WAIC expo seemed worried about the potential ramifications of the back-flipping dog robots they were excitedly watching. "When it comes to China's AI development, we have a comparatively good foundation of data and also a wealth of application scenarios," said Transwarp's Yang.
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- News.com.au
Is Xi Jinping attempting to secure his grip on power?
A massive purge has stripped China of its top military commanders, even as its expansive new fleets of warships and aircraft practice invading Taiwan. Chairman Xi Jinping secured a constitution-busting third five-year term as leader of the Chinese Communist Party in 2022. The normal process of selecting his replacement, due to take office in 2027, would usually begin next month. But Xi has overseen the removal of more than 20 senior People's Liberation Army (PLA) commanders from the navy, army, air force and nuclear rocket force. 'The fact that these high-profile purges are occurring now is not lost on outside observers,' argues Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) political scientist Professor Taylor Fravel. 'In 2027, the PLA will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding. It is also the year by which Xi expects China's armed forces to have made significant strides in their modernisation.' It's also the year former CIA director Bill Burns warned had been set as a deadline 'to conduct a successful invasion' of Taiwan. Is the purge of generals a sign that Xi is doubling down on his plans to seize Taiwan? Or does it demonstrate a behind-the-scenes struggle for power? 'We do not have any clear, unequivocal signs of a political crisis. We have the echoes of something happening in the depths of CCP politics,' observes Jamestown Foundation president Peter Mattis. Concentration of power The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) leading military oversight committee, the Central Military Commission (CMC), has had three of its six military commanders removed. Defence Minister Li Shangfu disappeared in 2023, several months before the Party issued a notice announcing his expulsion. Admiral Miao Hua, Director of the Political Work Department, was dismissed for 'serious disciplinary violations' last month. And Vice Chair General He Weidong, who is also a member of the CCP's Politburo Standing Committee, has not been seen in public for nearly six months. 'Never before has half the CMC been dismissed in such a short period,' Professor Fravel states. 'Even stranger is the fact that all three generals had previously been promoted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.' The Commission had 11 members when Xi took power in 2013. It was reduced to seven in 2022. Now, it's down to just four. And one of these – its chairman – is Xi. ' Xi's opinions are unlikely to be questioned, creating a lack of intellectual diversity and fostering a potential echo chamber,' argues Singapore analyst Dr Zi Yang. However, Professor Fravel warns that internal disarray may not necessarily mean any intention to invade Taiwan, and the South and East China Seas have been deferred. 'If the recent purges harm the PLA's readiness and reflect Xi's confidence in the PLA, then opportunistic uses of force may be less likely in the near to medium term,' he states. 'But if Xi views military action against Taiwan as necessary, he will still order the PLA into battle.' Military dominance The gutting of the Central Military Commission is just the highest profile part of Chairman Xi's purge. For example, two of Admiral Miao's naval colleagues – Admirals Li Hanjun and Li Pengcheng – were also dismissed earlier this month. Pinning down the extent of the clear out is proving difficult for Western analysts. 'The CCP rarely announces them, and even when they are publicised, the charges leading to dismissal are often vaguely described only as violations of discipline,' says Professor Fravel. One cause may be corruption. Especially in light of the massive graft within President Vladimir Putin's oligarch-governed military that led to the failure of his invasion of Ukraine. A recent Chinese incident, according to US intelligence, involved rocket force troops syphoning off fuel from nuclear missiles to use in cooking as their kitchens were not being maintained. 'CMC members and other senior officers may also have been removed if they were deemed to be using personnel appointments to create their own power centres, or 'mountaintops,' within the PLA,' the professor adds. This would challenge Chairman Xi's core demand: Loyalty. But their removal could come at a price – in competence. 'The tense atmosphere of fear and conformity, conditioned by the recent purges, certainly gives Xi the strongest voice in defence affairs, despite lacking a strong military resumé,' argues Dr Zi. 'Xi's directives override all others, and professional officers are unlikely to challenge him.' 'The Party directs the gun' The Communist Party's core Politburo last month announced the creation of a new 'Central Committee decision-making and co-ordination body'. The role of its 205 Party members is to 'enhance the centralised and unified leadership of the CCP Central Committee over major initiatives'. The announcement took pains to warn all members against 'taking over others' functions or overstepping boundaries'. The creation of this new governing body has prompted some to question Chairman Xi's grip on power. Why was he made a simple member, and not named as its 'core' component? Will the body wield any real power? The Communist Party has no obvious successor for Xi. And that indicates the 'Great Navigator' intends to remain at the helm for life. A key test would be whether the traditional Plenum – a meeting of central committee members to discuss policy and leadership appointments – takes place as scheduled next month. It's traditionally the point at which the next leader is selected. 'They all agree on restoring their version of China to a forgotten glory, and they largely agree how that should be done,' says Mattis. 'The party's elite, however, do not agree on whose hand should guide the party-state'. But Chairman Xi has ensured that his finger rests firmly on the trigger of his military. 'Following the principle of 'the party directs the gun,' orders from the CMC shape decisions on all military matters … reassuring the CCP's control over the armed forces,' Dr Zi argues. 'While Xi may find comfort operating within a close-knit group of loyalists, the repercussions of a hollowed-out CMC could significantly impair the PLA's warfighting capabilities.'
Sky News AU
17 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Albanese has put the Australia-US alliance ‘on the back burner': Michaelia Cash
Shadow Foreign Minister Michaelia Cash has 'blamed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the uncertain relationship Australia has with the US. 'It has been over 260 days, Andrew, since the election of President Trump, and we still have not had a face-to-face meeting,' Ms Cash told Sky News Australia. 'Under Mr Albanese, I don't think there is any doubt now that the Australia-US alliance has been put on the back burner. 'Our influence in Washington, it should be greater than ever.'
