According to the report, Chinese customs officials have been deployed to major ports to carry out stringent inspections of semiconductor shipments. Initially, the checks focused on Nvidia’s H20 and RTX Pro 6000D models — chips specifically designed to comply with U.S. export controls — but have since expanded to cover all high-end processors potentially breaching Washington’s curbs.
Neither China’s customs authorities nor Nvidia commented on the report, which Reuters said it could not independently verify.
The move underscores the deepening technological tensions between the world’s two largest economies, with access to Nvidia’s cutting-edge AI processors emerging as a key fault line in the U.S.-China rivalry. Earlier this year, the Financial Times reported that as much as $1 billion worth of Nvidia’s top-tier AI chips were smuggled into China between May and August — a claim Reuters also could not verify.
Nvidia has introduced the RTX6000D, a downgraded AI chip tailored for the Chinese market, but demand has reportedly been weak, with major Chinese tech firms opting to hold off on purchases. The development comes amid earlier accusations by Chinese regulators that Nvidia violated anti-monopoly laws and directives ordering tech firms to cancel existing AI chip orders.
Despite recent strides by local champions such as Huawei and other semiconductor players, industry insiders acknowledge that Nvidia’s chips still outperform their Chinese counterparts — a gap Beijing appears determined to close through its latest round of trade enforcement and domestic innovation efforts.