Reuters identified Chinese AI projects worth more than $3.2 billion that specify Nvidia chips restricted by Washington. The figure covers total project investment, not confirmed chip purchases or shipments. Nvidia still holds a substantial share of China's AI chip market even as Huawei expands.
Chinese developers are planning and building AI data centers around Nvidia processors that Washington restricts, according to a Reuters investigation published Friday. After examining more than 150 procurement notices, investment plans and corporate records, the news agency identified projects worth over 23 billion yuan ($3.2 billion).
Many of those projects specify Nvidia's H100, H200, or H800 chips. But the total covers buildings, electricity and other infrastructure, and the documents do not establish that all the processors were obtained or that any export laws were broken.
What the project records show
One proposed computing center in Fujian province is valued at 6.2 billion yuan ($873 million). Its official investment listing specifies H100 servers, but the project is still seeking financing partners.
In Shaanxi, a state-owned engineering group won a contract linked to a 3 billion yuan center naming H100 and H200 chips. Meanwhile, a 2.26 billion yuan project in Jilin proposes combining Nvidia hardware with Chinese processors.
Authorities in Wuxi reported that an H800 computing cluster began operating in March 2025. Operating facilities and proposed investments are not evidence of the same level of chip access.
Export rules and a growing Huawei
The United States began restricting advanced AI chip sales to China in 2022, citing national security concerns. In January 2026, the Commerce Department moved H200 export applications to case-by-case review, although sales still require licenses. H100 shipments remain more tightly restricted.
That leaves Chinese developers choosing between facilities built around familiar Nvidia equipment they may struggle to acquire and alternative processors that can require software changes and additional engineering.
An IDC report cited by Reuters estimated Nvidia accounted for 34% of China's AI accelerator shipments in the first half of 2026, compared with 28% for Huawei. Those figures cover the broader chip market, not confirmed shipments of restricted models.
The new project records also add pressure on U.S. officials facing congressional scrutiny over how advanced chip export rules are enforced.
Source: Decrypt
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