The Information, an information technology (IT) outlet, reported on the 7th (local time), citing multiple sources, that the Chinese government has instructed some tech companies to temporarily halt plans to purchase Nvidia's artificial intelligence (AI) chip H200.
Sources said government officials this week told some tech companies not to place purchase orders until authorities decide whether to allow H200 purchases at the government level and, if allowed, under what conditions.
One source said the government does not want corporations to rush into buying H200 chips before the government-level review is finished.
The Information reported that as U.S. President Donald Trump allowed sales of the H200 chip to China and Chinese corporations scrambled to place orders, Chinese authorities moved to address the purchases.
According to the sources, over the past few weeks the Chinese government called in chip designers, manufacturers and major tech corporations for meetings to seek guidance on H200 chip purchases. These meetings were said to have followed separate sessions held to gauge corporations' demand for the H200 chip.
Three sources said the Chinese government is reviewing whether to mandate that corporations purchase a certain proportion of China-made chips in tandem if they buy H200 chips.
They said the ratio would be determined based on assessments of whether China-made chips can substitute for the H200 chip and whether the domestic supply chain is sufficient to meet that purchase ratio.
Earlier, Jensen Huang, Nvidia chief executive officer (CEO), said at a press briefing for media and analysts held on Jan. 6 at the Fontainebleau hotel in Las Vegas, United States, where the consumer electronics and information technology (IT) trade show "CES 2026" is being held, that regarding the China market situation "customer demand is very high," adding, "so we have ramped the supply chain and H200s are pouring off the line."
When asked whether he expects the Chinese government to approve imports, he said, "I don't expect any announcements from the Chinese government," adding, "When the purchase orders arrive, that will speak for itself."