Nvidia is preparing to release a new artificial intelligence graphics processing unit (GPU) for China as early as June, offering a stripped-down alternative to its now-restricted H20 chip, according to Reuters, which cited multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The upcoming GPU, based on the company’s latest Blackwell architecture, will be priced between $6,500 and $8,000 significant drop from the $10,000–$12,000 price tag of the H20.
The lower cost reflects the chip’s weaker specifications, simplified packaging, and use of conventional GDDR7 memory instead of the more advanced high-bandwidth memory featured in premium AI processors.
The new chip, which will be modeled on the RTX Pro 6000D, will not utilize Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (CoWoS) technology, a key component of Nvidia’s high-performance chips. TSMC declined to comment.
What to know
This latest development marks Nvidia’s third attempt to develop a China-compliant AI chip in response to tightening U.S. export controls, which aim to limit China’s access to cutting-edge technology.
After Washington effectively banned the H20 in April under new export rules, Nvidia explored options to downgrade the H20. But CEO Jensen Huang confirmed last week that further modifications to its Hopper architecture, which the H20 uses, were no longer feasible under current U.S. regulations.
“Until we settle on a new product design and receive approval from the U.S. government, we are effectively foreclosed from China’s $50 billion data center market,” an Nvidia spokesperson told Reuters, adding that the company was still evaluating its limited options.
While the final name of the new chip remains unconfirmed, Chinese brokerage GF Securities suggested it could be branded as the 6000D or B40, though it did not cite sources or provide further details. The chip’s exact specifications have not been publicly disclosed, and Reuters was unable to confirm the final configuration.
Nvidia’s market share in China has plummeted from 95% before 2022, when U.S. export curbs that impacted its products began, to 50% currently, Huang told reporters in Taipei this week. Its main competitor is Huawei, which produces the Ascend 910B chip.
Huang also warned that if U.S. export curbs continue, more Chinese customers will buy Huawei’s chips.
The H20 ban forced Nvidia to write off $5.5 billion in inventory, and Huang told the Stratechery podcast on Monday that the company also had to walk away from $15 billion in sales.
The latest round of export curbs introduced fresh constraints on GPU memory bandwidth, a key technical parameter that determines how rapidly data can be transferred between a chip’s core and its memory.
