As the United States considers implementing stricter trade regulations to stop advanced chip technology from going to China, Nvidia, a major chip manufacturer based in the U.S., is reportedly developing a version of its new artificial intelligence chips that will adhere to these rules.
According to reports, Nvidia is creating a variant of its Blackwell AI chips intended for the Chinese market, working closely with a local distributor, Inspur. This new chip is tentatively named the “B20” and is expected to begin shipping by the second quarter of 2025. Nvidia has not provided any comments regarding this development.
Nvidia has already produced three chips specifically designed to meet U.S. export controls, which includes the H20 chip. This chip had its prices reduced to remain competitive against domestic rival Huawei, and recent reports suggest that sales of the H20 have started to rise. Forecasts indicate that Nvidia could sell over one million H20 chips in China this year, amounting to approximately $12 billion, despite the ongoing U.S. trade restrictions. This sales estimate is nearly twice that of Huawei’s projected sales for its Ascend 910B chip.
However, the future of Nvidia’s H20 chips may be uncertain due to potential new U.S. trade regulations. Analysts from Jefferies noted that during the upcoming annual review of semiconductor export controls, which occurs in October, it is highly probable that the H20 will face a sales ban in China. Such a ban could be enacted through various means, including a product-specific ban, a reduction in the computing power limit, or a restriction on memory capacity.
Additionally, the U.S. might consider expanding export controls for chips sold to other regional countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, or to overseas companies linked to China, though the latter option may present challenges in implementation.