8 November 2026
US approved Nvidia chip sales to Chinese firms with empty offices and blacklist ties
First reported
Tom's Hardware ran this on , 2 days before the other 2 sources picked it up.
- Nvidia makes the AI chips that power chatbots, and the US Commerce Department approved sales of its H200 chips to about two dozen Chinese firms.
- Some approved buyers, New Matrix and Maginfra, have empty offices or unknown owners, and New Matrix's founder is linked to a sanctioned Chinese private equity firm.
- Reporters say Chinese AI labs also reach Nvidia chips by renting capacity in foreign data centers, a gap a US House bill would close but has not yet become law.
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Reported by Tom's Hardware, The Verge, Tom's Hardware