Nvidia Chips Worth $1B Flood China’s Black Market After U.S. Export Ban

Nvidia’s restricted B200 AI chips, worth $1 billion, were shipped to China in just three months following Trump’s tightened export controls, according to Seeking Alpha. The chip is the most sought-after and widely available U.S. semiconductor on the Chinese black market, having been banned for sale in China. An Nvidia spokesperson said building data centers with smuggled products is ineffective because only authorized Nvidia products receive service and support. In May, Chinese distributors began selling B200 chips to data center suppliers serving AI groups in China. This followed Trump’s move to block sales of Nvidia’s H20 chip, which was designed to comply with earlier restrictions. Last week, CEO Jensen Huang said Nvidia would increase the supply of H20 chips and plans to introduce more advanced semiconductors in China. He noted strong demand but stated that no orders have been fulfilled while awaiting approval of the U.S. export license.