China bans imports of some Nvidia GPUs as tensions linger

2026-05-20

Gaming GPUs targeted

Chinese authorities have added some gaming semiconductors from US chipmaker Nvidia to an import ban list. The move, coming as CEO Jensen Huang accompanied US President Donald Trump on a visit to China, suggests semiconductor friction between the US and China remains unresolved.

Fear of use for AI

The Financial Times and Hong Kong computer industry media separately reported the move by 20th. The products in question are graphics boards equipped with Nvidia graphics processing units, or GPUs, designed for users seeking high computing power for gaming and anime. Nvidia is said to have been shipping lower-performance products for the China market.

Chinese authorities likely decided on the ban out of concern that such products could be diverted to generative AI fields.

Nvidia had an early lead in China's semiconductors for generative AI and held about 70% of the market in China in 2024. The US, meanwhile, has restricted exports of advanced AI chips in part to curb the growth of China's AI industry.

According to Reuters, the Trump administration approved Nvidia sales of chips with performance at or above a certain level, including H200, to Alibaba Group and others in China ahead of the US-China summit. Still, it remains unclear whether purchases will actually go ahead.

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