Nvidia has told its cloud computing partners to scale back work with Chinese customers, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Under the reported rule, those partners must sell at least 51% of their services to non-Chinese companies. The FT cites five people with knowledge of the matter and says the rule covers only future contracts, so existing agreements stay as they are.
Nvidia did not confirm or deny the report when AFP asked. Instead, it sent a statement that never mentions the 51% figure or China. The statement argues that data centers and clouds built on American chips give American model and application makers what they need to compete worldwide. It adds that longstanding U.S. policy urges every cloud to build on American infrastructure and win business wherever it can. If the world’s clouds run on foreign chips, it warns, the models and applications on top will end up foreign built as well.
China’s foreign ministry took a calmer line. Spokesperson Mao Ning said she was not aware of the report. As a matter of principle, she added, China hopes every party offers a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory environment to companies from all countries, Chinese ones included.
Neither response answers the practical questions. As relayed, the report does not say how a partner would measure its 51% share, whether by revenue, capacity or customer count. It does not say who would check the numbers or when the rule starts, and it names no partners. Those details decide how much bite the rule has. Because it covers only new contracts, existing Chinese business stays untouched for now, though partners could weigh the next deal more carefully.
The backdrop is a tense one. China and the United States are racing each other in artificial intelligence, and in recent months both have accused the other of stealing AI technology and putting security at risk. Nvidia sits in the middle of that race, since the global rush to fill data centers with specialist chips has made it one of the world’s most valuable companies.
Until Nvidia or its partners say more, the 51% figure rests on unnamed sources. For now, it is a report, not a confirmed policy.
