US approves Nvidia H200 handling by Chinese firms, raising vetting questions

The New York Times reported that the Commerce Department approved dozens of Chinese companies to handle Nvidia H200 chips; The Verge reports that the US is approving chip sales to Chinese firms with ties to blacklisted companies.[1][2] BIS says it will review applications for Nvidia H200, AMD MI325X and similar chips case by case if certain security requirements are met.[3] President Trump announced on December 8, 2025, that H200 and similar products could be shipped to approved customers in China.[3]

The New York Times reported that New Matrix’s listed address was empty, describing the site as a hollow gray shell with dangling wires where lights should be.[2] The Verge says a company directory did not list the firm, and a receptionist and manager at the property management agency had no record of it.[1] New Matrix was created 17 months before the report, and its owners have ties to a Chinese private equity firm blacklisted by the US government since 2024.[1] These details sit alongside reported questions about whether the firms cleared to handle H200 chips were adequately vetted.[1]

BIS says applicants must show that exports will not reduce global semiconductor production capacity available to US customers.[3] Chinese purchasers must have export compliance procedures that include customer screening.[3] The chips must also undergo independent third-party testing in the United States to verify performance and security.[3] BIS says allowing H200 sales to China under controlled conditions would strengthen the American technology ecosystem.[3] For teams assessing a transaction, these stated conditions make customer screening and the documented review process central points to check.

The Verge reports that Nvidia was restricted from selling chips to China during the Biden presidency and that the Trump administration relaxed those limits after Nvidia agreed to give the US government 15 percent of all sales.[1] The New York Times described approvals involving firms connected to trade-restricted entities as part of a broader pattern, rather than an isolated lapse.[1] However, The Inference notes that no published report shows an H200 reaching a restricted end user through New Matrix.[4]