NVIDIA’s Blackwell B30A: A Stronger AI Chip for China Than H20

NVIDIA is reportedly developing a new, more powerful artificial intelligence (AI) chip specifically for the Chinese market. This move comes as the tech giant navigates complex trade regulations and shifting demands from Beijing.

Sources indicate that this new chip, tentatively named B30A, will leverage NVIDIA’s cutting-edge Blackwell architecture. For context, Blackwell-based chips are significantly faster—between seven and 30 times quicker—than NVIDIA’s previous generation AI platforms. The B30A is designed as a single-die chip, meaning its core components are integrated onto one piece of silicon. While it will offer half the computing power of NVIDIA’s top-tier, dual-die Blackwell Ultra GPUs, it will still boast high-bandwidth memory and NVIDIA’s NVLink technology for rapid data transfer between processors.

This development appears to be a direct response to recent actions by the Chinese government regarding NVIDIA’s H20 chip. China had reportedly discouraged local companies from using the H20, particularly for government and national security-related projects. Furthermore, major Chinese tech firms like Alibaba, Bytedance, and Tencent were reportedly ordered to pause their NVIDIA purchases pending a national security review. This happened even after the US government had lifted its export restrictions on the H20 chips, which were initially imposed due to concerns about their potential military use by China.

It’s worth recalling the history here: the US initially blocked H20 sales to China last April. However, by July, NVIDIA announced that the US government would approve licenses for H20 exports to China. Reports from August suggested that NVIDIA (and AMD) might even share 15 percent of their profits from these sales in exchange for the export licenses.

NVIDIA is currently finalizing the specifications for the B30A and aims to deliver samples to Chinese clients for testing as early as September of this year. The situation remains fluid, with former President Trump reportedly aware of NVIDIA’s plans. Whether this new chip receives the necessary regulatory and export approvals is still uncertain, as the political landscape continues to evolve.