China's Over $3.2 Billion AI Project Plans to Use Restricted NVIDIA Chips

on November 14, according to Decrypt, Reuters reviewed more than 150 procurement notices, investment plans, and company records, finding that multiple AI data center projects in China are planned to use NVIDIA chips subject to U.S. export controls, with total project investments exceeding 23 billion yuan (approximately $3.2 billion).

Among them, a proposed computing center in Fujian worth 6.2 billion yuan specifies the use of H100 servers and is currently seeking financing partners; a 3 billion yuan data center project in Shaanxi lists H100 and H200 chips, while a 2.26 billion yuan project in Jilin plans to combine NVIDIA processors with domestically produced ones.

The aforementioned amounts cover infrastructure such as construction and power supply, rather than chip procurement costs; the relevant documents do not confirm whether all processors have been legally obtained or indicate any violations of export regulations.