Firms Cleared to Buy Nvidia H200 Chips Lead to Empty Offices, Probe Finds

Two Chinese firms that got the green light to buy Nvidia's H200 AI chips don't appear to exist in the places they claim to. An investigation by The New York Times found their listed addresses led to empty offices, and receptionists in those buildings had never heard of them.

The paper didn't stop at the real estate. According to the investigation, executives at both companies are frequently tied to other firms the United States has sanctioned for supplying advanced technology to the Chinese military.

That combination has handed critics fresh ammunition over how Washington vets GPU export licenses. Liza Tobin, a former China director for the White House National Security Council, told the publication she has a ton of concerns that neither the Commerce Department nor Nvidia is doing the due diligence needed to confirm licensing terms are actually being followed.

The Commerce Department signs off on which Chinese buyers can legally receive the chips. The investigation suggests that approval process may be closer to a rubber stamp than a screen, even as the U.S. keeps tightening curbs on advanced silicon heading to Beijing.