Both Nvidia and AMD have reportedly agreed to pay the U.S. government 15% of China-sourced revenues to unlock export licenses for previously restricted chips. Under the reported terms of the new deal, Nvidia will be able to resume H20 chip sales, and AMD will be able to sell its MI308 accelerators into China. The deal, not officially announced, has been reported independently by a multitude of outlets, including the BBC, FT, and Reuters. We also followed up with Nvidia for more details.
The restrictions on exports of such potent AI accelerators were originally put in place due to national security concerns, but the 15% levy marks a significant shift in that strategy. The revenue-share deal would represent a landmark foray into uncharted territory. Several news agencies, such as the BBC and FT, point out that a deal where commercial entities pay a revenue share in exchange for government export license approval is unprecedented.
