China reportedly bans local firms from buying NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000D

Reports say China’s Cyberspace Administration (CAC) told major local tech companies, including ByteDance and Alibaba, to cancel orders for and stop testing NVIDIA’s RTX Pro 6000D GPU. Companies reportedly instructed suppliers to halt related work. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang expressed disappointment.

Key points

• Regulator: Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) reportedly ordered firms to stop purchases/testing of the RTX Pro 6000D.
• Companies affected: Reports name ByteDance and Alibaba among others.
• Context: This follows earlier guidance on NVIDIA’s H20 chips and ongoing US export controls; Chinese regulators are said to view domestic AI chips as competitive with NVIDIA’s offerings.
• Other actions: China’s State Administration for Market Regulation recently accused NVIDIA of violating antitrust terms tied to its Mellanox acquisition.

Background

The move comes after US export restrictions on certain NVIDIA AI chips (H20) over national security concerns. Though those restrictions were later eased, tensions remain and China has signaled support for domestic chipmakers such as Huawei, Baidu and homegrown startups.

Reaction

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said he was disappointed and would support US efforts to resolve geopolitical issues with China. Analysts say the ban could slow NVIDIA’s growth in China but also accelerate domestic chip adoption.

Sources

• Engadget report: https://www.engadget.com/ai/china-reportedly-bans-tech-companies-from-buying-nvidias-ai-chips-120143740.html

What do you think this means for global AI development and chip competition? Leave a comment below.