미국이 PhoneWorld 보도에 따르면 중국 군 관련 기업들에 대한 Nvidia AI 칩 판매를 승인했다.

The Trump administration's decision to allow Nvidia to sell advanced AI chips to Chinese companies has raised fresh national security concerns in the United States. A new investigation by The New York Times found that several companies approved to purchase or handle Nvidia processors have business connections to US-blacklisted firms and Chinese military contractors.

The investigation has raised questions about how effectively US authorities screen Chinese companies before granting them access to advanced American semiconductor technology.

One of the companies approved by the US Commerce Department is New Matrix, a Chinese firm established about 17 months ago. Reporters who visited its registered office in an industrial park outside Beijing found an apparently vacant space. Neither the building directory nor the industrial park management had any record of the company.

Chinese corporate records also linked New Matrix's owners to Wise Road, a private equity fund that the US placed on its trade blacklist in 2024 over allegations that it helped China acquire strategically important semiconductor businesses. Two analysts who reviewed the records suggested that New Matrix could be connected to companies associated with the blacklisted fund.

**US Approves Around Two Dozen Chinese Companies**

The Trump administration approved Nvidia's H200 processor sales to China in December 2025, reversing some earlier restrictions designed to prevent Beijing from accessing advanced chips that could strengthen its military capabilities.

Under the arrangement, Nvidia chips manufactured in Taiwan must first pass through the United States before reaching Chinese buyers. The arrangement also allows Washington to collect a 25% tariff on their value.

The US Commerce Department has reportedly approved around two dozen Chinese companies to purchase or handle H200 processors. These include major businesses such as Baidu, BYD and Tesla Shanghai. Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance and ZTE Kangxun Telecom have also reportedly received approval.

Each approved company can purchase tens of thousands of H200 chips, although none had reached its permitted limit at the time of the investigation.

Liza Tobin, a former China director at the White House National Security Council, questioned whether the US government and Nvidia were conducting sufficient background checks on approved buyers. She also expressed concern about whether companies were properly following licensing requirements.

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security defended its screening process, saying it carefully examines applications for potential national security risks. The agency also reported imposing $324 million in penalties for export violations during 2025 and hiring more than 90 enforcement officers in 2026 to strengthen oversight.

**Investigation Finds Links to Chinese Military Contractors**

The investigation also identified other approved companies with connections to Chinese military suppliers and businesses facing US restrictions.

One example is Maginfra, a relatively new Chinese company whose registered office also appeared vacant during the newspaper's visit. Analysts suggested that the company had links to Inspur, a Chinese technology firm previously placed on the US Entity List over its involvement with China's military.

Corporate records showed that Maginfra and Inspur shared personnel and patents. Both companies also had government ownership connections.

Another approved buyer, Zhejiang Yindun Cloud Technology, had links to Range Intelligent Computing Technology Group. The latter provides cloud computing services to military contractors and supports a satellite programme operated by the defence bureau of China's Hebei province.

The investigation also identified Shanghai Jiatang, a company originating from state-owned Datang Telecom. The company supplies technology to China's military and operates under the China Academy of Telecommunications Technology, which is involved in military cryptography development.

The investigation did not establish that any of the approved Nvidia processors had reached China's military. The corporate connections instead raised concerns about whether existing export controls can prevent restricted organisations from accessing advanced chips.

**Nvidia Defends Its China Business**

Nvidia defended its sales to China, arguing that the Chinese military has little reason to depend on American semiconductor technology.

The company also said Beijing had restricted H200 imports to encourage the use of locally manufactured processors. Nvidia maintained that its limited exports to China continued to support American jobs and manufacturing.

The company's financial disclosures showed that H200 shipments to China-based customers accounted for less than 1% of its data centre revenue in the quarter ending in July. Nvidia also said in August that its revenue forecast for the following quarter did not include any data centre sales to China.

Meanwhile, Chinese AI companies have increasingly explored access to advanced American processors through overseas data centres, particularly in Southeast Asia. US officials have previously raised concerns that some Chinese firms could use foreign companies and infrastructure to bypass American export restrictions.

The latest investigation has renewed debate in Washington over the risks of allowing advanced AI chip exports to China. In December 2025, a bipartisan group of US senators also proposed legislation that would prevent the administration from relaxing restrictions on advanced AI chip exports to China and other countries for two and a half years.