[News] NVIDIA Rumored to Downgrade AI Chips for China Amid U.S. Restrictions, Year-End Mass Production Expected

NVIDIA and Intel are adapting to the latest U.S. chip export restrictions by introducing downgraded AI chips specifically tailored for the Chinese market, UDN News said.

According to insider from the China Star Market, a Chinese media, NVIDIA has developed three downgraded AI chip models for the Chinese market. Intel also plans to release downgraded Gaudi 2 chip with an aim to US restriction.

NVIDIA’s latest downgraded AI chips, including HGX H20, L20 PCle, and L2 PCle, are anticipated to be unveiled after November 16th. Chinese companies are likely to receive samples in the coming days. These three chips, derived from the modification of NVIDIA H100, will align their performance with parameters below the new U.S. regulations. Ongoing communication with NVIDIA suggests mass production is slated for the year-end, said by industry sources.

Besides, Yicai also confirms from multiple NVIDIA supply chain sources. The three AI chip products are designed for cloud training, cloud inference, and edge inference, with specific launch times pending confirmation. Sampling is projected between November and December this year, followed by mass production from December this year to January next year.

On the Intel front, there are rumors of a response plan. As reported by The Paper, Intel is planning to release an improved version of its Gaudi 2 chip. Although the rumor exists, specific details are yet to be disclosed.

Since the U.S. government introduced chip export control to China last year, NVIDIA initially designed downgraded AI chips A800 and H800 for Chinese companies. However, new regulations in October this year by the U.S. Department of Commerce brought A800, H800, L40S, and other chips under control. Failure to secure export permission may necessitate order cancellations for NVIDIA.

(Image: Nvidia)