Lawmakers want US to disclose any approvals of Nvidia H200 China licences

Two senior Democratic lawmakers on Monday asked the ‌US Commerce Department to disclose details ‍and any approvals of continuing licence reviews for potential sales to Chinese firms of Nvidia’s second-most powerful AI chips.

US President Donald Trump this month said he would allow sales of Nvidia’s (NVDA.O) H200 chips to China, with the US government collecting a 25 per cent ‍fee, and that the sales would help ‍keep US firms ahead of Chinese chipmakers by cutting demand for Chinese chips.

Senator ‌Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Gregory Meeks in a letter asked the Commerce Department to disclose all licence applications for H200 chips for Chinese companies and ‌disclose any ⁠approved licences within 48 hours of the approval date.

The lawmakers also want a briefing ‍on the issue before approvals are issued, including “an assessment of the military potential of the chips approved for export ‍and the reaction of allies and partners to the decision to export these chips”, according to the letter, which was seen by Reuters.

Warren earlier this month called on ‌Congress to compel Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to testify before lawmakers, and said Trump’s decision to allow H200 sales to ‍Chinese companies “risks turbocharging China’s bid for technological and military dominance and undermining US economic and national security”.

The Commerce Department and Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump’s announcement represented a major policy shift from the Biden administration, which banned advanced AI chip sales to China due to national security concerns.

South China Morning Post