President Donald Trump said Monday he told Chinese President Xi Jinping that the United States will allow NVIDIA to ship its H200 products to approved customers in China, while excluding NVIDIA’s newest Blackwell chip from the arrangement. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. government would take a 25% cut of sales of the approved chips, up from a previously announced 15%, and said the Department of Commerce is finalizing details.
NVIDIA’s H200 is a generation behind Blackwell, and the move could be worth billions for the company. NVIDIA has said it has more than $500 billion in orders for its top AI chips for this year and next — not counting potential buyers in China. Trump also said Intel, AMD and “other great American companies” would be allowed to sell similar chips to Chinese customers.
Monday’s announcement effectively ends the de facto ban on U.S. AI chip sales to China, though it remains unclear whether China will accept the imports. After the U.S. previously signaled it would allow an older NVIDIA model, the H20, China’s government showed little interest. In his post, Trump said, “President Xi responded positively!”
NVIDIA praised the decision, saying it applauds allowing America’s chip industry to compete and that offering the H200 to approved commercial customers vetted by the Commerce Department “strikes a thoughtful balance.” AMD also commended the administration’s approach, saying it strengthens American competitiveness, supports high-value domestic jobs, and drives investment and growth in the semiconductor industry. Intel declined to comment.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has lobbied the White House for months to permit some sales to China and met with Republican senators recently to discuss AI policy. His position—that the U.S. tech stack should be the global standard, including for China—has drawn skepticism from some lawmakers. A bipartisan group in Congress has raised national security concerns about allowing Chinese access to advanced AI chips. Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts and others argue denying Beijing access is essential to national security, and Sen. Ricketts joined Sen. Chris Coons in introducing a “Safe Chips Act.”
The easing of export controls coincides with signs of thawing U.S.-China ties: China has increased purchases of U.S. soybeans and approved some rare earth mineral exports to American buyers. Speaking at a White House event with farmers, Trump said he believed China might buy even more soybeans than initially agreed. After Trump’s post, NVIDIA shares rose nearly 3% in after-hours trading.
Steve Kopack is a senior reporter at NBC News covering business and the economy.