The Americans are stepping up their sanctions against China in the field of artificial intelligence. As we reported here, the Biden administration banned the export of AI-related hardware. Initially, this decision concerned NIVIDA’s A100 and H100 boards. To comply with U.S. regulations, the chameleon began producing the A800 and H800 with bridged links between each board. These are now banned for export!
H800 and A800 cards also banned from export to China!
Despite the ban on the A100 and H100, China was importing many 800 series. So much so, that the initial sanctions had little influence in the end, with this sector accounting for $16 billion in just four years.
For the time being, the Americans are changing their trade policy by banning the export of A/H800s. As a reminder, these boards are derived from the H100 and A100 and offer equivalent GPU configurations. The main difference lies in the NVLINK bridge, which is limited to 300 GB/s instead of the 600 GB/s of the original board. However, this limitation was not enough, as China was importing more cards to power its servers. Despite rising prices due to demand outstripping supply.
Once again, the aim of the maneuver (officially) is to prevent the development of China’s military sector through AI. It remains to be seen whether these sanctions will have any effect over time.
In the meantime, NVIDIA says it will comply with the government’s instructions. As for the financial impact, Green says it does not expect a significant impact on revenues in the near future. Yes, demand is still very strong, we’ll just have to sell these cards elsewhere.
