Washington clears AMD to resume shipments of advanced AI chips to China

The U.S. Commerce Department has told AMD that its license applications to export MI308 accelerators "will move forward for review," paving the way for sales to restart after months of suspension. Nvidia received a similar signal for its H20 processor earlier this week.

The decision reverses a strict stance the Trump administration took earlier in 2025 when it insisted that curbs on high-end AI hardware were non-negotiable. AMD had already warned investors that the MI308 ban might shave roughly $800 million off its results, while Nvidia booked a potential hit of about $5.5 billion tied to H20 restrictions.

Both companies created the MI308 and H20 specifically to meet prior U.S. export thresholds, but even those toned-down designs fell under a broader crackdown in January. Since then, executives-Nvidia's Jensen Huang among them-have lobbied Washington to ease rules they argue could undercut U.S. leadership in AI.

The White House scrapped the Biden-era "AI diffusion" framework, which imposed tiered controls and promised a simpler rule set. Final details remain unclear, yet the partial roll-back suggests a willingness to balance national security concerns with commercial interests.

For both vendors, renewed access to the world's largest AI market could soften earlier revenue dents and relieve inventory pressure, though any licenses still require formal approval.