Nvidia has significantly reduced the number of Asian companies authorised to buy its AI chips, establishing a new "white list" and tightening compliance and due-diligence procedures in select markets, according to people familiar with the matter. The enhanced screening has affected customers in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan and resulted in the exclusion of more than half of NVIDIA's previous Asian buyers, although those companies may reapply after implementing changes to meet the new requirements.
The vendor's revised approach to authorisations comes amid concerted U.S. efforts to close routes that have allowed Chinese entities to obtain advanced chips despite strict export controls. Nvidia's internal compliance process was reportedly strengthened following pressure from Washington - a development that sources connecting the company, regulators and third parties have noted.
Steps taken by Nvidia include the creation of a formal list of approved buyers in Asia and heightened vetting of potential purchasers. The company has concentrated these increased checks in specific regional hubs - Singapore, Malaysia and Japan - where intermediaries and supply-chain partners often operate. Firms removed from the list are not permanently barred; they can seek reinstatement after altering business practices or improving compliance measures.
The stricter controls come against a backdrop of recent legal action in the United States. In March, U.S. prosecutors charged a Supermicro co-founder and two employees with allegedly helping to funnel about $2.5 billion worth of Nvidia chips to China. The Department of Justice said the alleged scheme involved using a southeast Asian company as a proxy to move chips from Taiwan to China.
U.S. export restrictions on AI chips to China have been in place since at least 2021, though regulators granted permission for the sale of an older H200 chip last year. That transaction prompted resistance in Beijing, which blocked domestic sales of the H200 in part to foster local chip development.
What this means
- Manufacturers and resellers in Asia now face more stringent vetting to remain eligible buyers of Nvidia's AI accelerators.
- Companies excluded from the new white list can seek reinstatement by modifying operations or compliance practices.
- The changes reflect intensified export-control enforcement and heightened scrutiny of supply-chain intermediaries.