Nvidia is reportedly working on a new AI chip designed specifically for the Chinese market that would be less powerful than its flagship B300 Blackwell GPU, but more capable than chips currently allowed for export by the U.S. government.
Reuters reports that according to anonymous sources, Nvidia, the world’s most valuable chipmaker, is developing a new AI chip codenamed B30A for sale in China. This move demonstrates the company’s unwillingness to give up on China as a key growth market, despite ongoing geopolitical tensions between the United States and China.
The B30A chip is said to be half as powerful as Nvidia’s flagship B300 Blackwell GPU, but more advanced than the H20 GPUs the company is currently permitted to sell in China. Unlike the dual-die design used in the more powerful B300 GPUs, the B30A will feature a single-die design. However, it will still share similar features with the H20, such as fast data transmission, support for NVLink, and high-bandwidth memory.
Sources suggest that the development of the B30A is separate from another chip Nvidia is reportedly creating for the Chinese market. In an emailed statement, Nvidia said, “We evaluate a variety of products for our roadmap, so that we can be prepared to compete to the extent that governments allow. Everything we offer is with the full approval of the applicable authorities and designed solely for beneficial commercial use.”
As the race to develop AI intensifies, geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington have increasingly affected the industry. Critics argue that the United States must maintain its lead by controlling the supply of necessary technology to China. On the other hand, Nvidia and its peers maintain that ceding the valuable Chinese market to rivals like Huawei would be tantamount to giving up entirely, as they find themselves selling the equivalent of shovels during a gold rush.
Breitbart News recently reported that Nvidia has agreed to 15 percent of its China sales to the government:
The Trump administration has struck a deal with U.S. chipmakers Nvidia and AMD, requiring them to pay 15 percent of their revenues from chip sales in China to the U.S. government. This arrangement was made as a condition for the companies to obtain export licenses for the Chinese market, which were granted last week.
According to people familiar with the situation, including a U.S. official, Nvidia agreed to share 15 percent of the revenues from its H20 chip sales in China, while AMD will provide the same percentage from its MI308 chip revenues. The administration has not yet determined how these funds will be used.
Read more at Reuters here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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