U.S. President Donald Trump looks on before signing a bill in the Oval Office of the White House on January 14, 2026, in Washington, DC.
Brendan Smialowski AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration would approve sales to China. NvidiaThe U.S. government will receive 25% of the sales of its artificial intelligence chip H200, the day after the U.S. government announced formal regulations.
Unlike Nvidia’s previous chip for China, the H20, the H200 is a version of the company’s Hopper generation, which is also sold in the US and other markets. The H200 was not specifically designed for export and was slower.
In his remarks Wednesday, President Trump noted that the H200’s performance has been surpassed by two generations of Nvidia chips currently in production, naming Nvidia’s Blackwell AI and Rubin AI chips.
“It’s not the highest level, but it’s a pretty good level. China wants it, other people want it, and basically we’re going to make 25% on the sale of those chips,” Trump said.
President Trump originally announced approval of the H200 chip and a 25% cut in government spending a month ago.
Previously, Nvidia said the Chinese market could be worth $50 billion annually.
“We’re allowing them to do that, but the United States gets 25 percent of the tips in dollars,” Trump said.
The Commerce Department said in a filing released Tuesday that the rule change has several requirements, including that exporters prove there is a sufficient supply of H200 chips in the United States and that the chips do not take up global foundry capacity needed for more advanced AI chips destined for the United States.
The government said chip customers must have adequate security procedures in place and the chips must be tested by an independent third party in the United States to confirm specifications before shipping.
Chip shipments to China will be limited to 50% of all products shipped to U.S. customers. The submission also states: AMDMI325X chip.
“We applaud President Trump’s decision to allow the U.S. chip industry to compete to support America’s high-wage jobs and manufacturing,” an Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement. “Offering the H200 to commercial customers, vetted and approved by the Department of Commerce, strikes a great balance for the United States.”
“Those who criticize the administration are unintentionally promoting the interests of foreign competitors on the U.S. Business List. The United States should always want its industry to compete for vetted and approved commercial business and support real jobs for real Americans,” the spokesperson continued.
Last week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told reporters that the company was seeing “very high” interest in its H200 chip from Chinese customers and that the company had restarted production of the chip.
“We are ramping up our supply chain and the H200 is rolling down the line,” Huang said at a press conference at the CES conference in Las Vegas.
It is unclear whether Chinese regulators will approve imports of Nvidia chips, as China aims to become more self-sufficient in domestically produced but inferior AI chips.
Huang said last week that he did not expect an announcement from China.
“We don’t expect any press releases or big declarations,” Huang said. “It will just be a purchase order.”
Last year, Huang predicted that AI chip sales would reach $500 billion in the two years to the end of 2026. H200 sales to China will add to that forecast, he said last week.
The White House announced Wednesday that it also imposed a 25% import tariff on some chips, like the H200. These chips must be imported into the United States and tested before being shipped to China.
