China’s $3.2 Billion AI Pipeline Still Calls for Nvidia Chips Washington Restricts

In brief

• Reuters identified more than $3.2 billion in Chinese AI projects specifying Nvidia chips subject to U.S. export controls.
• The figure covers overall project investment—not confirmed chip purchases or shipments.
• Nvidia still holds a substantial share of China's AI chip market despite Huawei's expansion.

Chinese developers are planning and building billions of dollars worth of AI data centers around Nvidia processors restricted by Washington, according to a Reuters investigation published Friday.

After examining more than 150 procurement notices, investment plans and corporate records, the news agency identified projects worth over 23 billion yuan ($3.2 billion). Many specify Nvidia's H100, H200, or H800 chips, which provide the computing power used to train and run advanced AI models.

But $3.2 billion is the total value of the projects, including buildings, electricity and other infrastructure. The documents do not establish that all the processors were obtained, or that any export laws were broken.

What the documents reveal

One proposed computing center in Fujian province is valued at 6.2 billion yuan ($873 million). Its official investment listing specifies H100 servers but is still seeking financing partners.