The Trump administration has cleared roughly two dozen Chinese companies to buy Nvidia’s H200 artificial-intelligence chips or assemble them into servers, after easing restrictions on sales to China. Investigations into the companies’ listed addresses and ownership found that New Matrix, a newly formed firm approved to assemble the chips, had no apparent office or staff at its registered location. Its owners have connections to Wise Road, a Chinese investment firm blacklisted by the United States for helping acquire sensitive chip businesses. Another approved assembler, Maginfra, also appeared to have an empty office and ties to Inspur, which is on the U.S. trade blacklist for military connections. Other licensees are linked to companies that provide computing or communications technology to Chinese military programs.
The cases raise questions about how effectively the Commerce Department and Nvidia vet companies handling advanced chips, which could strengthen China’s artificial-intelligence and military capabilities. The administration says it reviews applications for security risks and has increased enforcement staffing; Nvidia argues that limited H200 sales support U.S. jobs and that China is restricting imports to favor domestic chips. Sales remain small, and the administration routes chips through the United States to collect a 25 percent tariff. Still, Chinese firms can also access Nvidia chips through Southeast Asian data centers, adding to concerns about oversight and possible diversion.
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