AMD cleared to join Nvidia and resume selling some underpowered AI chips to China
(2025/07/16)
- Reference: 1752627369
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/07/16/amd_china_chips/
- Source link:
The US government has cleared AMD to resume exporting some accelerators to China.
"We were recently informed by the Department of Commerce that license applications to export MI308 products to China will be moving forward for review," AMD told The Register .
"We plan to resume shipments as licenses are approved. We applaud the progress made by the Trump Administration in advancing trade negotiations and its commitment to US AI leadership."
[1]
AMD’s clearance came a day after the US government allowed Nvidia to start selling some underpowered accelerators to China.
[2]
[3]
Washington long ago blocked Nvidia, AMD, and other US semiconductor firms from selling their most powerful products to China, citing national security concerns.
Tech firms responded by creating less powerful products to sell into China – the MI308 is an example of such offerings as it is considerably less capable than other models in AMD’s MI300 Series products.
[4]
Washington allowed exports of those devices, but in April 2025 [5]changed its policy and banned the sale of even modest accelerators like the MI308.
After some intense lobbying from the chip industry, which stood to lose [6]billions in [7]revenue , Washington reversed its decision and will again allow sale of some GPUs to China.
[8]Trump's trade war with China to cost AMD $1.5B in lost rev
[9]Chip designers latest casualties in US-China trade war
[10]Here's what it'll take for Nvidia and other US chipmakers to flog AI chips in China
[11]Plan to keep advanced chips from China with tracking tech gains support in Congress
AMD's stock price rose nearly seven percent today. Nvidia shares popped five percent, too.
The decision to allow export of modestly-specced GPUs reflects recent thawing in China/US relations amid ongoing trade negotiations. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday [12]reportedly said the two countries are in a “very good place” as the clock counts down to August 12, a day on which a current tariff pause will expire if the two countries don’t reach a deal. ®
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[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/09/nvidia_us_export_ban_change/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/29/nvidia_q1_fy_2026/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/07/us_export_controls_on_instinct/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/07/us_export_controls_on_instinct/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/30/eda_us_china/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/28/nvidia_us_chipmakers_ai_requirements_china/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/15/gpu_tracking_house/
[12] https://www.mitrade.com/insights/news/live-news/article-3-960978-20250716
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"We were recently informed by the Department of Commerce that license applications to export MI308 products to China will be moving forward for review," AMD told The Register .
"We plan to resume shipments as licenses are approved. We applaud the progress made by the Trump Administration in advancing trade negotiations and its commitment to US AI leadership."
[1]
AMD’s clearance came a day after the US government allowed Nvidia to start selling some underpowered accelerators to China.
[2]
[3]
Washington long ago blocked Nvidia, AMD, and other US semiconductor firms from selling their most powerful products to China, citing national security concerns.
Tech firms responded by creating less powerful products to sell into China – the MI308 is an example of such offerings as it is considerably less capable than other models in AMD’s MI300 Series products.
[4]
Washington allowed exports of those devices, but in April 2025 [5]changed its policy and banned the sale of even modest accelerators like the MI308.
After some intense lobbying from the chip industry, which stood to lose [6]billions in [7]revenue , Washington reversed its decision and will again allow sale of some GPUs to China.
[8]Trump's trade war with China to cost AMD $1.5B in lost rev
[9]Chip designers latest casualties in US-China trade war
[10]Here's what it'll take for Nvidia and other US chipmakers to flog AI chips in China
[11]Plan to keep advanced chips from China with tracking tech gains support in Congress
AMD's stock price rose nearly seven percent today. Nvidia shares popped five percent, too.
The decision to allow export of modestly-specced GPUs reflects recent thawing in China/US relations amid ongoing trade negotiations. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday [12]reportedly said the two countries are in a “very good place” as the clock counts down to August 12, a day on which a current tariff pause will expire if the two countries don’t reach a deal. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aHcj1kiyJ454_g1pLi5qyQAAAUI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aHcj1kiyJ454_g1pLi5qyQAAAUI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aHcj1kiyJ454_g1pLi5qyQAAAUI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/systems&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aHcj1kiyJ454_g1pLi5qyQAAAUI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/09/nvidia_us_export_ban_change/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/29/nvidia_q1_fy_2026/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/07/us_export_controls_on_instinct/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/07/us_export_controls_on_instinct/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/30/eda_us_china/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/28/nvidia_us_chipmakers_ai_requirements_china/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/15/gpu_tracking_house/
[12] https://www.mitrade.com/insights/news/live-news/article-3-960978-20250716
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: The Check Cleared!
DS999
Apple's deal isn't BS. They aren't paying that money for nothing. They're working with that mining company to get the rare earths they need via recycling, something they're big on. That guarantees their supply and leaves them with one less piece of their supply chain that has been dependent on China and one that China has used as leverage before and probably will again.
If it takes Trump's attention off Apple and puts it on some other shiny object and not threaten them with tariffs because he's so ignorant he thinks production can be reshored in a matter of months, that's just a bonus.
The Check Cleared!
I wonder if they each had to pony up half a billion like Apple did for that minerals BS.