China conditionally approves DeepSeek’s purchase of Nvidia H200 chips
China has given its leading AI startup DeepSeek conditional approval to buy Nvidia’s H200 artificial intelligence chips.
The approval comes with regulatory conditions that are still being finalized by Chinese authorities. According to the sources, China’s industry and commerce ministries have cleared the purchases, but final terms are being set by the country’s top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Chinese tech giants ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent had also received permission to buy more than 400,000 H200 chips in total.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in Taipei that the company had not yet received confirmation of DeepSeek’s approval, adding that he believed China was still finalizing the licensing process. Nvidia declined to comment on the reported decision.
The H200, Nvidia’s second-most powerful AI chip, has become a sensitive issue in U.S.–China relations. While the United States recently cleared exports of the chip to China, Beijing retains the final say on whether imports are allowed.
Any DeepSeek purchase could also attract scrutiny in Washington. U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns over whether Nvidia’s technology may have supported Chinese military-linked AI development, allegations the company has previously denied.
DeepSeek is expected to unveil its next-generation AI model, V4, in mid-February, according to earlier media reports.
By Aysel Mammadzada
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