Despite the best efforts of American politicians, there are plenty of restricted Nvidia data center GPUs in China, but because the parts are smuggled in relatively limited quantities, their owners are inclined to repair failed A100 or H100 processors, as they are obviously not covered by any warranties. As such, Reuters reports that there is a booming underground industry focused on servicing high-end Nvidia AI GPUs that are officially restricted from export to the country.
Around a dozen small firms in Shenzhen now reportedly provide repair services for advanced Nvidia GPUs. Two companies confirmed that they primarily handle A100 and H100 units, which can be used to build powerful supercomputers both for AI and HPC, and are restricted from being shipped to Chinese entities. One of them began offering these services in late 2024 and now handles up to 500 GPU repairs per month. These businesses have even set up facilities with server rooms to simulate real-world data center conditions for testing.
