Nvidia has instructed its data center partners to reduce their business exposure to Chinese customers, according to a Financial Times report. The move could make it harder for Chinese technology companies to access advanced AI computing services through overseas cloud providers.
The chipmaker has reportedly told cloud computing partners to ensure that at least 51% of their services go to non-Chinese customers. Five people familiar with the discussions told the Financial Times that the requirement was communicated verbally through Nvidia's sales and regional teams. The restrictions apply to future contracts across global markets. Existing cloud leasing agreements are not covered by the reported changes.
Nvidia said,“Datacenters and clouds built on American chips are the foundation that American model and application makers need to compete worldwide. Longstanding US policy encourages every cloud to build on American infrastructure and to win business everywhere they can. America’s longstanding policy has always supported the build-out of American infrastructure worldwide, bringing prosperity, influence, and jobs home.”
The reported restrictions could create fresh challenges for Chinese technology companies that depend on overseas cloud services to train AI models. US authorities have been tightening controls on advanced chip exports and access to computing infrastructure. Cloud providers in Southeast Asia are also facing difficulties finding enough non-Chinese customers to meet the new requirement. One Singapore-based provider told the Financial Times that strict enforcement could hurt its business.
Nvidia has already reduced the number of authorized Asian customers for its AI chips by more than half. The company introduced a stricter approval list to prevent advanced processors from reaching China through unauthorized channels. The restrictions have also increased demand for computing resources inside China. A rack of Nvidia B300 chips, valued at around USD 600,000 internationally, reportedly sold for 18.5 million yuan, or approximately USD 2.8 million, in China last month.
The B300 is among Nvidia's advanced AI products and is restricted from sale in China under US export controls. Nvidia shares have fallen more than 13% over the past month, although they are still up 7% this year.
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