(Yicai Global) Sept. 2 -- Nvidia can continue to fulfill orders of its high-performance artificial intelligence chips A100 and H100 to China under certain conditions, the US chipmaking giant told Yicai Global yesterday, after a new ruling by the US government earlier this week caused consternation in the market.

Nvidia is authorized to fulfil orders and deliveries of the A100 and H100 through the company’s Hong Kong unit until Sept. 1 next year, the firm said, citing the notification it received from the US government on Aug. 31. Nvidia can also perform exports needed to support US customers of the A100 and provide maintenance and services in China through to March 1 next year. And it is permitted to continue developing the H100 in China.

The US government’s new rules are not a complete ban on sales and supply of these chips, which are used to speed up machine learning tasks, to China but an additional permission is required, the California-based firm said.

The company is working with its Chinese customers to see if it can meet their demand through substitute products that skirt the A100 and H100 restrictions but have the same computing power, it said.

“If clients are unwilling to use alternative products, we will go ahead and apply for the authorization, but we may not be able to get it,” Nvidia said.

“The US has been abusing export controls to curb exports of semiconductor items to China, and China takes a firm stand against this behavior,” Shu Jueting, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce, said yesterday.

“This behavior violates the principles of fair competition and international trade rules, harms the rights and interests of Chinese companies, hinders global exchanges of technologies and trade cooperation, and hurts the stabilization of global industrial and supply chains and the world economic recovery. The US must stop this behavior right now and treat Chinese firms the same as other foreign companies,” she added.

Editor: Kim Taylor