U.S. clears H200 chip sales to 10 China firms as Nvidia CEO looks for breakthrough

The U.S. has cleared around 10 Chinese firms to buy Nvidia's second-most powerful AI chip, the H200, but not a single delivery has been made so far, three people familiar with the matter said, leaving a major technology deal in limbo as CEO Jensen Huang seeks a breakthrough in China this week. Huang, who was not initially listed in a White House delegation to Beijing, joined the trip after an invitation from President Donald Trump, a source said. Trump picked him up in Alaska en route to a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, raising hopes the trip could finally unlock stalled efforts to sell the H200 chips in China. The stakes are significant, highlighting how the U.S.-China tech rivalry is now snarling even approved trade, leaving the world's most valuable company and dominant chipmaker caught between dueling national priorities. Before U.S. export curbs tightened, Nvidia commanded about 95% of China's advanced chip market. China once accounted for 13% of its revenue, and Huang has previously estimated the country's AI market alone would be worth $50 billion this year. The U.S. Commerce Department has approved around 10 Chinese companies including Alibaba 9988.HK, Tencent 0700.HK, ByteDance and JD.com 9618.HK to purchase Nvidia's NVDA.O H200 chips, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. A handful of distributors including Lenovo 0992.HK and Foxconn 2317.TW have also been approved, they said. …