ByteDance and Tencent each received around 10,000 Nvidia H200 AI chips in recent weeks, marking a limited resumption of shipments to China under US export rules and Beijing's regulatory adjustments [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. US export controls cap approved Chinese companies’ purchases at 100,000 H200 chips each [1, 2, 3, 4].
China requires most of the H200 chips to remain outside mainland China to protect domestic chipmakers, and allows shipments to Hong Kong for local use. However, capacity and power constraints in Hong Kong data centers limit full utilization of these processors, noted unnamed informed insiders who expressed hope for eased restrictions [1, 2, 3, 4].
The Nvidia H200 chip is at least two generations behind the company’s newest AI processors due to US export restrictions, limiting China’s access to cutting-edge AI hardware [2, 3, 4]. Nvidia holds roughly 500,000 H200 chips in inventory mostly intended for Chinese users, but sales have been restrained by Beijing’s controls [2, 4]. Lenovo and other partners have informed Chinese customers they can resume ordering H200-based products after clearance from the National Development and Reform Commission [2, 4].
Chinese AI labs increasingly use domestic chips for inference tasks but rely on Nvidia H200 chips for complex model training. The loosening of import controls aims to help leading Chinese AI firms train advanced models to compete internationally [2, 3, 4].
In January 2026, China agreed to import several hundred thousand Nvidia H200 chips under US export licenses, following US government approval in December 2025 [3]. ByteDance and Tencent received their initial shipments weeks before August 19, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4].
Media reports on August 19 detailed these developments amid ongoing regulatory shifts affecting Nvidia H200 chip imports and usage in China and Hong Kong [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
