US Official Confirms 'Very Few' Nvidia H200 AI Chips Have Shipped to China

A senior U.S. Commerce Department official has confirmed that limited shipments of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence chips to China and Hong Kong have commenced. The development marks the first official acknowledgment of deliveries of the powerful, export-compliant GPU to the key market following regulatory approvals.

Official Confirms Initial Shipments

During testimony before a U.S. House committee on Tuesday, Jeffrey Kessler, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, stated that H200 chip shipments have begun. According to a Reuters report of the hearing, Kessler emphasized that the quantity so far has been "very few."

This confirmation follows a May report from Reuters that the Commerce Department had cleared approximately 10 Chinese firms to purchase the H200, Nvidia's second-most powerful AI chip. At that time, however, no deliveries had yet been made.

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Market Implications and Context

The H200 was specifically designed by Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) to comply with U.S. export controls aimed at restricting China's access to the most advanced AI technology. The start of these shipments is a significant event for the semiconductor industry, as it demonstrates a viable, albeit restricted, path for U.S. firms to continue serving the large Chinese market.

For investors, the development suggests that Nvidia has successfully navigated complex regulations to maintain a revenue stream from China. The low volume of initial shipments indicates a cautious and heavily scrutinized rollout, and market participants will be closely monitoring the pace of future sales to assess the full financial impact for the chipmaker.