China’s internet watchdog told major tech firms to stop buying an Nvidia AI chip designed for the local market. The Financial Times reported that companies were told to end tests and cancel existing orders for the RTX Pro 6000D.
Watchdog tells firms to cancel RTX Pro 6000D orders
The Cyberspace Administration of China gave the directive this week, the FT reported. The order covered companies including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and ByteDance Ltd. Companies had been testing the chip and planning large buys.
According to Bloomberg, the FT cited people with knowledge of the matter. The guidance told buyers to stop testing and to terminate existing orders for the Nvidia product.
The RTX Pro 6000D is a graphics processor that Nvidia introduced for China. The product aimed to fit within U.S. limits on advanced AI chip exports to China, the FT said.
Before the directive, several companies signaled plans to order tens of thousands of units. Those plans are now in question after the watchdog’s move, according to the FT report.
Chip sits at the center of tightened tech controls
Nvidia created the RTX Pro 6000D as an option for Chinese customers. It was meant to keep some AI compute available while meeting export rules, the FT reported. The new guidance asks firms to stop work with the chip.
The FT report did not list a reason for the instruction. It also did not say how long the stop would last or if exemptions might apply.
Buyers had started tests to see if the chip met their AI needs. The agencies’ directive interrupts those evaluations and planned deployments.
Big tech buyers named in the FT report
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and ByteDance Ltd. were among the companies told to cancel, the FT reported. The companies had looked at the chip for model training and other compute tasks, according to the report.
The order applies to testing and to existing purchase agreements. That includes contracts that firms had already placed for delivery.
According to Bloomberg, the FT report said buyers had lined up significant volumes. It described plans that ran to tens of thousands of chips.
The FT report did not mention any response from Nvidia. It also did not include a comment from the Cyberspace Administration of China.
