Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and ByteDance have reportedly inquired with Nvidia Corp. regarding the purchase of its powerful H200 artificial intelligence chips. This follows a statement from U.S. President Donald Trump permitting the export of these chips to China.
The H200 is significantly more powerful than chips currently available to Chinese companies. U.S. export restrictions currently limit access to high-end semiconductors.
The interest underscores intense efforts by Chinese technology leaders to acquire high-end semiconductors to fuel AI development. Both Alibaba and ByteDance seek to place large orders, pending approval from the Chinese government.
Remaining concerns focus on the supply of the chips and the final decision from Beijing.