Nvidia Halves Asian AI Buyer List as US Tightens China Chip Controls
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · Jul 14
Nvidia Halves Asian AI Buyer List as US Tightens China Chip Controls
3 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Jul 14
Summary
More than half of Nvidia’s previous Asian customers have been excluded from a new approved-buyer “white list” after tougher compliance reviews in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
The crackdown follows pressure from Washington to stop advanced AI chips reaching China through third countries, with Nvidia now visiting data centres, checking contracts and interviewing end users.
Neocloud providers were among the hardest hit, and industry insiders said the tighter screening has already worsened China’s AI chip shortage.
A March US case alleging $2.5 billion in chip smuggling through a south-east Asian pass-through entity underscored the loopholes the new vetting is meant to close.
China still lacks enough domestic AI processors to meet rising demand for AI agents, even as Beijing bets local chipmakers can expand output and keeps Nvidia’s H200 effectively shut out.