Nvidia Corp is designing a new artificial intelligence chip for the Chinese market that will be more powerful than its current H20 model, Reuters reported, citing two people briefed on the matter.
The move comes as the company navigates US export restrictions while seeking to maintain its foothold in a market that generated 13% of its revenue last fiscal year.
According to the report, the chip, tentatively called the B30A, will be based on Nvidia’s latest Blackwell architecture and employ a single-die design.
While less advanced than the dual-die setup used in Nvidia’s flagship B300 accelerator card, the new product is expected to deliver roughly half the raw computing power of that model.
The chip will include high-bandwidth memory and NVLink technology for faster data transfer between processors — features also present in the H20, which uses Nvidia’s older Hopper architecture.
Sources cited by the publication said specifications are not yet finalised, but Nvidia aims to deliver samples to Chinese clients as early as next month.
Regulatory approval uncertain
US President Donald Trump last week signalled potential openness to allowing more advanced Nvidia chips into China.
However, regulatory approval remains uncertain amid Washington’s longstanding concerns about granting Beijing broader access to cutting-edge AI technology, the report said.
In a statement to Reuters, Nvidia said it regularly evaluates a variety of products for its roadmap to remain competitive “to the extent that governments allow.”
The company added that all offerings receive full regulatory approval and are “designed solely for beneficial commercial use.”
Trade tensions remain a concern
The question of how much access China will have to advanced AI chips remains a major point of contention in US-China trade relations.
Nvidia only resumed sales of the H20 in July after regulators ordered a halt in April.
The H20 had been tailored for China following export restrictions imposed in 2023.
Trump has suggested that a new chip for China could have “30% to 50% off” in computing power compared to Nvidia’s most advanced products, describing the H20 as “obsolete.”
His administration also recently announced a deal requiring Nvidia and rival AMD to give the US government 15% of revenue from certain chip sales in China.
Lawmakers from both political parties have voiced concern that even scaled-down AI chips could undermine US efforts to preserve a lead in artificial intelligence.
Nvidia and others counter that keeping Chinese clients engaged is critical, as their chips integrate with Nvidia’s software tools.
Huawei has made rapid progress in chip development, with some of its latest models said to rival Nvidia in computing power.
However, analysts note that Huawei continues to lag in areas such as software ecosystem support and memory bandwidth.
Further complicating Nvidia’s position, Chinese state media have recently raised security concerns over its products, and authorities have cautioned local tech firms about purchasing the H20. Nvidia maintains its chips do not pose any backdoor risks.
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