Very few Nvidia H200 artificial intelligence chips have been shipped to China and Hong Kong since the U.S. government began licensing exports of the advanced processor earlier this year, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffery Kessler told Congress on Monday.
Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Kessler characterized the shipments as a very small quantity against approved licenses. The Commerce Department evaluates applicants on a case-by-case basis with national security requirements and inspections, and some applications are denied, he said. The policy follows President Donald Trump's December 2025 announcement that the government would approve H200 sales to China in exchange for a 25 percent cut.
Kessler warned that producing chips for Chinese shell companies violates regulations and stressed that protecting U.S. technology remains a priority. Meanwhile, ZTE and two other Chinese firms recently received approval to purchase advanced AI chips from Nvidia and AMD. Democratic committee member Gregory Meeks criticized the department for adding no Chinese companies to the export control list since October 2025.