The United States will allow exports of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips to China while collecting a 25% cut on those sales, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday. The 25% fee will be collected as an import tax when H200 systems enter the United States from Taiwan for security review before re-export to China.
Nvidia welcomed the decision, saying that offering H200 to vetted commercial customers “strikes a thoughtful balance that is great for America.”
The H200 is Nvidia’s top chip from its previous Hopper generation and is significantly more capable than any processor Washington has so far allowed into China. A report from the Institute for Progress, a Washington-based think tank, estimates the H200 delivers almost six times the performance of Nvidia’s export-approved H20, shrinking the gap between Chinese and U.S. AI compute if shipped in volume.
The agreement does not cover Nvidia’s most advanced chips, including its Blackwell generation and the upcoming Rubin chips.
The move marks a significant shift from prior export control policy under the previous administration.
The announcement lands as Washington prosecutes a China-linked smuggling network that tried to move at least $160 million of controlled H100 and H200 chips overseas.
Critics — including some members of Congress — reacted sharply. Several Democratic senators called the move a “colossal economic and national security failure,” warning that access to H200 could accelerate China’s military AI and surveillance capabilities. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim urged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick not to approve any H200 exports, citing risks that the chips could power Chinese surveillance and weapons programs.