India Business Journal - Chinese companies step up orders worth $16 bn for Nvidia’s H20 chips

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Chinese companies step up orders worth $16 bn for Nvidia’s H20 chips

IBJ Bureau
Apr 03, 2025

Chinese companies, including ByteDance, Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings, have placed at least $16 billion in orders for Nvidia’s H20 server chips in the first three months of the year, the Information reported on Wednesday, citing two people with direct knowledge of the transactions.

In February, the Reuters had first reported a surge in orders for the H20 – the most advanced AI processor legally available in China under US export controls – driven by booming demand for Chinese startup DeepSeek’s low-cost AI models.

Nvidia declined to comment, while ByteDance, Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings did not immediately respond to the Reuters’ requests for comment.

The H20 is the primary chip Nvidia is legally permitted to sell in China and was launched after the latest round of US export restrictions took effect in October 2023.

H3C, one of China’s largest server-makers, has flagged potential shortages of Nvidia’s H20 chip, according to a Reuters’ report in March.

A potential supply crunch could hinder Chinese firms’ AI ambitions, especially as they expand their investments in the technology.

H3C is a major OEM partner for Nvidia’s AI chips in China, along with Inspur, Lenovo and Huawei’s spin-off x86 server unit, xFusion.

Washington has banned exports of Nvidia’s most advanced chips to China since 2022, concerned that advanced technologies could be used by China to build up its military capabilities.