US approves H200 sales to Chinese tech giants, but shipments remain blocked
Source: The Next Web
The US government issued export licenses for Nvidia's H200 chips to ten major Chinese companies—a reversal from broader AI chip restrictions—but approval means little without delivery mechanisms that remain under regulatory control. Licenses exist on paper while the administration maintains an embargo through distribution chokepoints, providing political cover on both sides: Beijing gains symbolic market access, Washington keeps actual supply leverage. The gap between permission and product shows that semiconductor geopolitics now operates through layered restrictions rather than outright bans, making the supply chain a negotiating tool rather than settled policy.