Nvidia has told Chinese clients it aims to start shipping its H200 artificial intelligence chips to China before the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The US chip designer plans to fulfil initial orders from existing stock, with shipments expected to total 5,000 to 10,000 chip modules – equivalent to about 40,000 to 80,000 H200 AI chips, the first and second sources said.
Nvidia has also told Chinese clients that it plans to add new production capacity for the chips, with orders for that capacity opening in the second quarter of 2026, the third source said.
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Significant uncertainty remains, as Beijing has yet to approve any H200 purchases and the timeline could shift depending on government decisions, the sources said.
The whole plan is contingent on government approval, the third source said, adding that nothing was certain until the official go-ahead.
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The sources declined to be identified as the discussions are private.
In a statement to Reuters, Nvidia said: “We continuously manage our supply chain. Licensed sales of the H200 to authorised customers in China will have no impact on our ability to supply customers in the United States.”