As you know, NVIDIA hardware is subject to a number of export restrictions in countries deemed problematic by the Americans, notably China. To comply and continue selling hardware in the Middle Kingdom, NVIDIA is offering its H20, a card that replaces the H100, which was initially banned from export. However, it would appear that a further tightening is on the cards’ way.
H20: soon to be banned from export to China?
For the moment, nothing has been decided, but the market is preparing for this eventuality. NVIDIA is also on the move, having reportedly stopped taking new orders in anticipation of the new sanctions.
However, such a ban would hurt the chameleon’s bottom line since, since the H100 was banned, the H20 has become very popular in China. To give you an idea, this model alone represents sales of $12 billion!
Of course, it would appear that NVIDIA is in discussions with the US administration to prevent this decision, which would have a direct impact on the company’s revenues.
It remains to be seen what decision will be taken. However, all is not lost for China, since there are other ways of getting around this. We’re thinking in particular of online service providers who rent H100’s power to anyone who needs it. So, all in all, if China and other countries no longer have access to this hardware, the demand will come from service providers who will set up other servers.
