Nvidia improves chip for China to comply with U.S. trade regulation

Nvidia Corp. plans to sell an improved chip in China that meets new U.S. export control requirements, said the company on Monday. Those rules stated that advanced technology should not be passed on to Chinese parties. 

The enhanced A800 chip is the first effort by manufacturing company Nvidia to create a modern processor for China, complying with recently adopted U.S. trade regulations. The corporation noted that export restrictions could cost it millions of dollars in losses. 

U.S. requirements adopted in early October have effectively banned the export of several goods including microchips and equipment for their production. The move is seen as an effort to weaken China's semiconductor industry, along with its military sector.

Reuters reports that the graphics processor Nvidia A800, released in the third quarter of 2022, can be considered as another alternative to the Nvidia A100, designed for Chinese consumers. This is stated by the agency, citing a spokesman of the company.

As Wayne Lam, a CCS Insight analyst, notes, the A800 appears to be a better version of the A100. It is developed to circumvent trade restrictions in the U.S. These findings are based on the specifications provided by Reuters. Moreover, the analyst emphasizes that the number eight in the chip is regarded as a lucky number in China.