President Trump announced that the United States will permit NVIDIA to sell its H200 AI chips to approved customers in China, while keeping the company’s newest Blackwell chip off-limits. In a Truth Social post, Trump said he told Chinese President Xi Jinping of the decision and that the U.S. government would take a 25% cut of sales of the approved chips, up from an earlier 15% figure. He added that the Commerce Department is finalizing the details.
The H200 is one generation behind NVIDIA’s top Blackwell line, so allowing its export could be worth billions for the company. NVIDIA has said it has more than $500 billion in orders for its leading AI chips for this year and next, a total that currently excludes potential buyers in China. Trump also indicated that Intel, AMD and other American chipmakers would be permitted to sell similar products to vetted Chinese customers.
The decision effectively ends the de facto U.S. ban on some AI chip sales to China, but it’s not clear whether Chinese authorities or commercial buyers will embrace imports. When the U.S. previously signaled it might allow an older NVIDIA model, the H20, China showed little interest. Trump wrote, “President Xi responded positively!”
NVIDIA welcomed the move, saying it supports allowing the American chip industry to compete and that offering the H200 to approved commercial customers vetted by the Commerce Department “strikes a thoughtful balance.” AMD praised the approach as strengthening U.S. competitiveness, supporting high-value domestic jobs and encouraging investment in the semiconductor sector. Intel declined to comment.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has lobbied U.S. officials for months to permit some sales to China and recently met with Republican senators to discuss AI policy. His view—that the U.S. tech stack should remain the global standard, including for China—has met skepticism from some lawmakers. A bipartisan group in Congress has raised national security concerns about allowing advanced AI chips to reach Chinese buyers. Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts and others argue that denying Beijing access to such technology is critical to national security; Ricketts and Sen. Chris Coons have pushed legislation known as the “Safe Chips Act.”
The easing of export controls comes amid signs of a thaw in U.S.-China relations: China has stepped up purchases of U.S. soybeans and has approved some rare earth mineral exports to American buyers. Speaking at a White House event with farmers, Trump suggested China might buy even more soybeans than initially agreed.
Following Trump’s announcement, NVIDIA shares rose nearly 3% in after-hours trading. The Commerce Department has yet to publish final rules and a list of approved customers, leaving the timing and scale of any shipments uncertain.