China eases limits on Nvidia H200 chips as AI race escalates

Chinese regulators have quietly eased import restrictions on Nvidia H200 chips, allowing select cloud providers and data center operators to purchase them. The H200 is an upgraded H100 with higher memory bandwidth, useful for training large models. The change came through relaxed approval practices rather than a formal policy document. The post does not name which companies received licenses, nor does it specify the timeline or volume caps. This looks like a tactical tweak in enforcement, not a reversal of export control direction.

Why it matters: FT's exclusive on China easing H200 approvals is a material signal in the US-China chip standoff. H200's higher memory bandwidth directly helps LLM training. Score held back because the article doesn't name approved companies, quantities, or timing — it's directional for now.